Fairytales
by lavender skyy
Summary: Renesmee has been the princess of the Cullen family from day one... but even princesses have it tough sometimes. Post-BD Jacob/Nessie. Complete!
1. Portland

**AUTHORS NOTES: **

**I am looking for a Beta. I've tried to keep things in line with Twilight as much as possible. I've read the books several times so I think I've done a pretty good job, but if you find anything far out of canon, please let me know. **

**Twilight and its characters are owned by Stephanie Meyer. **

Chapter 1 – Portland

Renesmee POV

We moved from Forks shortly after the Volturi decided to let me live. Grampy said it was about time. If he waited much longer, people would start getting suspicious of his never-aging appearance. We had also outgrown the mansion. The cottage was nice for mom, dad, and me, but mom wanted more space for me to play. The mansion was getting pretty tight after they made a large portion of it my playroom.

Jacob spent many nights at our house, so they gave him a bedroom. He usually preferred to sleep outside, but Nan Esme insisted on him having a bedroom so he'd feel more at home.

Jacob spent most of his time homeschooling with Alice and playing with me. Seth and the rest of Jacob's pack came around occasionally, but things had been nice and peaceful for a while and all of the shape-shifters decided that the Cullen family – because we are a family – wasn't a threat, so they didn't feel the need to have everyone doing rounds every day and night.

Mom never said so, but I could tell she was happy to be leaving Forks. She hadn't been out in public there since before the honeymoon, which was just over a year before we moved. She couldn't, she looked completely different and people would definitely notice the discrepancy. I remember a distorted version of her pre-vampire face. It was like she went on an extreme makeover show. In two days she went from looking humanly beautiful to absolutely stunning in every way. Even her voice sounded nothing like it had when she spoke to me while I was still growing inside her.

We didn't move far, though. Everyone wanted to stay near the pack, Billy, and Pop Charlie for as long as possible, so we gathered together and decided on a small town outside of Portland, Oregon – the home of two hundred twenty two cloudy days per year on average. It was a scenic 5 hour drive away from Pop Charlie, four if dad was behind the wheel.

I deeply missed my family in Forks… the pack, all of my Quileute friends, and most of all, Pop Charlie. Since mom and dad had no trouble driving at night while I was sleeping, we'd load up the RV and drive North to visit about twice a month, spending usually two or three days at a time.

Pop Charlie took to grandparenting like a fish takes to water. Mom said he was never good at showing his emotions and usually kept quiet, but he was the exact opposite when I was around. His face would light up the moment we stepped out of the RV.

I remember the first time we arrived at his house in our huge RV. "Your dad is his usual worrisome self, Hun," my dad said to my mom as he patted her knee jokingly.

"How so?" She looked over at him, her eyes so gentile and affectionate.

"He thinks we're not coming. He's worried that he will never see us again, despite the fact that you've promised repeatedly that you would. It's only been two weeks," dad said with a chuckle and a smile.

Dad knew just how Pop Charlie felt about mom and me. He had no intentions of keeping either of us from him as long as he lived.

When we arrived, we could all hear his heart beating what sounded like 120 beats per minute, but we were all too preoccupied with excitement to take the time to count. He flung the old front door open before we even parked the RV. His face looked tired, but electric with happiness. His jaw nearly fell off his face when he saw me. It had only been two weeks since we left, but apparently I had grown more than he anticipated. As I popped out of the RV, we both came running toward each other like something right out of the movies.

He reached out and scooped me up into his arms, patting my head and hair. If I were as fragile as a normal kid, I'd have probably been suffocating from the firm grip of his hug. We had never gone this long without seeing each other. His smile was wider than I'd ever seen. A single tear fell from his eye. He probably thought I didn't notice when he tried to disguise wiping it by burying his face into my long bronze curls.

Mealtime was never awkward when we visited Pop Charlie. We always hunted before we left. After spending so much time with us when we lived in Forks, Charlie came to the conclusion that meals were another one of those "better off not knowing" subjects. Along with things like mom's voice, how Edward looked the exact same he had when he first moved to Forks, and how I grew at an abnormal rate.

We visited La Push every time we went. Uncle Billy, because he was family to me, was much like Charlie in that he was always shocked to see how much I'd grown. He seemed to understand our strange ways, and his family had strange ways of its own. Jacob moved with us to Portland. When we visited Forks, he usually spent most of his time at La Push. The RV was big, but not big enough for Jacob to be comfortable sleeping in it. The smell during the drive alone was enough to make him open the windows.

Everyone would usually gather at Billy's house one of the evenings we were in town. There were so many people that Charlie and Sam ended up converting Jacob's old garage into a makeshift covered patio complete with grill and plastic chairs. Every time we came, mom always brought a little something to make the area more complete. After a few months, it was starting to look more like what an outdoor living space should look like. Of course, Billy was as reluctant about receiving gifts as Jacob, so she had to keep the gifts practical.

When we left our first visit, Pop Charlie said goodbye as if it were the last time he would see us. The hair-hankie trick became a reoccurring event. I always pretend not to notice. Pop Charlie always sent me home with a little something. He thought of us as those people who were impossible to buy for because we had everything, but he always sent me home with a little something to remember him by.

The first time, it was a vintage reproduction of the Queen Marie Amelie Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl Tiara. He knew how much I absolutely loved playing dress up. Seven large sapphires swirled up in a line, the center sapphire the largest with the remaining three on each side slightly smaller. The sapphires were surrounded by diamonds. Smaller sapphires sat atop smaller scrolls between each large sapphire. Pearls lined the base, under a row of diamonds, with several pearls accenting each diamond crusted scroll leading to the large sapphires. Spectacular was an understatement. Of course, the stones were crystals and not actual diamonds and sapphires. The pearls were genuine, though. It didn't matter at all to me what it was made of.

It was a little big at first, but it didn't take long for me to grow into it. I insisted on wearing it the entire ride home, but I woke up as we were pulling into our driveway I found it neatly placed beside me.

I was the luckiest child in the world. I wasn't exceedingly spoiled, but I never went without. One of my favorite pastimes was playing dress-up. Everyone got in on it, but usually it was just mom, dad, and Jacob. Mom and dad always played the parts of the King and Queen. I was the princess, of course. Jacob's ensemble varied. Sometimes he was the court jester, others he was the noble steed, and if I begged enough, he'd be the prince.

Finding tights big enough to fit Jacob was a challenge; we had to have the custom made. Dad didn't mind wearing the tights. He'd worn clothes from numerous eras, what's one more? Jacob loathed the tights, but some costumes wouldn't be complete without them. For the most part, I let him choose whatever he wanted to dress up as. He would have worn the prince costume every day if I had asked, though.

My playroom in our Portland home was quite possibly the greatest of all time. During Zafrina's visit to Forks, she had shown me amazing scenes from palaces she had seen. I modeled my playroom after it, adding flair from my imagination and my family's contributions and ideas. Once I showed my dad what I was visualizing, the project began. Aunt Alice had foreseen this event long before the move, so the house was designed with it in mind. I thought the space looked a bit odd before the playroom was built, but it all made sense later.

For a while, everyone was obsessed with designing my playroom. Every family member had a part in it. Converting images of castles and palaces into something resembling a playroom was quite the task. Our imaginations were flooded with ideas. Aunt Alice, of course, had the grand idea of actually building a miniature palace, but that would be pretty ostentatious and definitely ruin any chances we had at seeming "normal."

My entire family, including Jacob, had a hand in the masterpiece. It was as though they were competing to see who could get it exactly right, but it was a cooperative effort. I was shocked at how they all worked together and with a smile the entire time. Even Emmett kept his snide remarks to himself and resisted numerous urges to decide things based on who won wrestling matches. I loved all of their ideas. After all the plans had been drafted and redrafted, and all the miniature models had been reworked time and time again, everyone finally agreed on the perfect plan and it got my seal of approval.

Each person did their part to construct it. Jasper and Grampy did most of the architectural planning. Alice and Nan Esme did all of the decorative shopping. Emmett and Rosalie built everything. Mom, Dad, and Jacob pitched in on all of the efforts.

My favorite part was traveling to China to pick the absolute perfect silks and fabrics. I had never imagined it possible to look at so many different types and colors of fabric. Alice and Nan Esme did an incredible job coordinating everything. My mom, on the other hand, had ideas of her own.

"I know you two love international travel for the sake of shopping, but for fabric? Is this really necessary? Can't we just drop in a few local fabric shops, or maybe travel out of state if absolutely necessary?" my mom questioned incredulously on the way to the airport.

"Bella, she only has one childhood. And besides, it's been fun living vicariously through her! So combine Nessie's desire for something profound and my need for absolute perfection, and that should answer your question." Aunt Alice always knew how to get her way.

"So what's next, traveling to Africa to rob the rain forest for the flooring?"

"No, Bells… Em and Rosalie have already purchased the flooring. It came from Hickory trees in a tiny part of the southern Appalachian Mountains called Blue Ridge. It'll be perfect!"

My mom resigned at that point, knowing there was no stopping Alice once she got started.

I wish we could have visited China for longer, but the weather was only going to be dreary just long enough for us to do our shopping - which took every bit of two days - and get to the airport just before the cloud cover passed. Everything was so different from our culture. Photos in history books had not done this country justice.

Once the decorating crew – mom, Nan Esme, and Alice – started putting things together in the playroom, I wasn't allowed back in. They wanted to surprise me, and I was sure I wouldn't be disappointed. They blocked off the entire section of the house with a thick, dupioni silk curtain that matched the sporadic lavender hues of the nearby family room perfectly. I could hear loud knocks, drills, and staple guns, but I couldn't see a thing.

Start to finish, the whole project took about a month. That's saying a lot, considering it was a group of nine strong adults, only one of which needing to take breaks for sleep and eating. I was very anxious to see the final result, but I knew it was important to all of them that I be good and wait for the grand reveal. The days seemed to drag. My simple bedroom filled with toys seemed so dull. I took lots of walks around the gorgeous property to try and distract myself.

I was still growing very rapidly. Grampy charted my measurements weekly. My growth came in spurts. The first couple of months of my life, I grew to the size of a two year old. After that spurt, it slowed. I reached the average height and physical development of a three year old in my first year. My growth continued to come in spurts. Sometimes I wouldn't grow at all for weeks, then I'd shoot up almost overnight. It was a good thing mom had a stockpile of clothing in all sizes ready for me, because it came in handy. I can't imagine waking up two inches taller and not having long enough skirts or big enough shoes.

The family loved me so dearly. Their biggest wish for me was to have an "as normal as possible" childhood. So every time I reached another growth milestone, they'd throw me a birthday party. I may have been incredibly smart for my time, but my desires and likes always held true to my age. There was no way I was going to refuse having multiple birthday parties per year. It was a win-win. They seemed to really enjoy doting on me. For mom and dad, it came naturally. I think the others enjoyed it because it was something new and different. They'd had the same routine for decades, or in dad's case almost a century. My childlike mind didn't care the reasoning behind it. I didn't take my position for granted, but I did relish in it when the opportunity presented itself.

**A/N:**

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Reviews are appreciated :-)**

**As I've written the story, I've collected inspirational photos. In the end authors notes I'll include a link to each chapter's album. No peeking ahead! :-). Hopefully you guys like this idea. The photos aren't usually an exact representation of what I'm describing, but they help me visualize and describe things. The one photo for this chapter is an exact representation of what I described it as. It carries significance throughout this story and the followup to it. **

**Here's the album for this chapter: picasaweb dot google dot com/fairytalesfanfic930/Chapter1**


	2. Princess Renesmee

**A/N: **

**Twilight and its characters are owned by Stephanie Meyer. **

**Chapter ****2. – Princess Renesmee **

I woke up that Monday morning and did my weekly physical with Grampy. He would have made an amazing pediatrician. He always made my weekly physicals fun and entertaining. With nine adults constantly trying to play with me, finding alone time with any one person other than mom, dad, or Jacob was difficult. My physicals were my solo time with Grampy.

"Stand up tall, Ness, like a giraffe!" So I did. He took my height measurement and continued doing his usual measuring routine. His cold touch never bothered me the slightest bit. It felt normal to me.

"Now, hold your arms out straight and strong." He'd always do this last, because he'd give me a big tickle in my under arms that would send me rolling in the floor with laughter.

"Well Ness, it looks like you're four years old today!" Grampy exclaimed.

He could probably eye me and tell my exact measurements, but we both enjoyed this alone time together. It was one of the few times where we could bond and talk. We conversed mostly about my latest obsessions, upcoming events, or things I was learning with Alice. When I felt inquisitive or didn't have much to say, I would ask him about something medical, or about his job.

I had a feeling it was getting close to the grand reveal of my playroom, because when I returned to my bedroom from my weekly physical, the crown that Pop Charlie had given me was missing. I panicked, thinking the worst – it got broken while someone was putting something away, or one of the boys was rough housing and crushed it. I immediately ran to the first person I could find, hoping everything was okay.

"Nan, have you seen my crown from Pop??" I asked, my voice was rushed and very stressed.

"Yes honey, I should have told you earlier. I took it in to town this morning to have it cleaned and polished. You wear it practically every day, and the crystals were starting to get a bit cloudy from the regular use. I'm picking it up this afternoon, so you'll have it back soon." Nan was never a good liar, but I knew she wouldn't lie to me if something were truly wrong with my prized possession. I completely trusted her reason for my AWOL crown.

Mom retrieved me from my bedroom when I woke from my nap that afternoon. I'd swear she was glowing, but I knew better than that. She carried me on her narrow hip downstairs to the main level of the mansion. When mom carried me it was like being on a moving sidewalk, I knew I was moving but I never felt jostled. Her movements were so graceful.

"Princess Renesmee, your new palace is finished. Would you like to see it?" my mom whispered in her gentile, charming voice. Her eyes lit with excitement.

"REALLY?!" was all I could manage to spit out. My eyes were as big as apricots and my jaw hung open. My cheeks became rosy and I was gleaming with elation. I had been waiting for this day for what seemed like a year.

We walked at a human pace and she stood me up in front of the lilac dupioni silk curtain that had been blocking the view into my future playroom. We stood there for a moment until everything was absolutely silent behind the beautiful curtain.

Mom held out a remote the size of a credit card and pressed a button. The curtains were slowly drawn to the side and my dream stood in front of me, a dream come true. It was more marvelous than I could ever imagine. I couldn't move. I stood motionless in front of the entryway and absorbed everything in front of me.

The first thing I noticed directly across the room from where I stood was the case filled with jewels and crowns. My crown from Pop Charlie was sitting right on the top in the center, as it was my most precious piece. It was surrounded by some of my old favorites and many new jewels – some looked new, others looked to be antique, some even ancient.

My eyes scaled the entire room and I took it all in. The space looked like a modern day enchanted castle. The walls were a pale shade of pink, my favorite color. The light reflected off them in a way that provided a very subtle glisten, almost like my skin in the bright sun but a bit more sparkly.

I noticed the grand staircase and my eyes traveled upward. At the top, I could see what was likely a bed surrounded by lilac gossamer curtains and pale ivory bedroom furniture that matched the theme of the room. I could see a good bit of the bedroom as there was railing instead of a wall that overlooked the rest of the room below, like a loft but much larger. I could see sconces with glowing candles and fresh flowers on the bedside table.

Mom hit another button on her little remote. Across from the bedroom, to my right, two stories of fabric panels opened up, revealing window after window that domed slightly outward like the exterior of a castle. I was taken aback by the radiance of the sun shining in through the numerous towering windows. My mom was sparkling a bit, something that I loved to admire.

That's when I noticed the French doors. I wasn't ready to move just yet, I was still enthralled, taking in everything that was in front of me. I just couldn't get past the remarkable detail and enormity of the room. The French doors could wait a few more moments.

The living area furniture was gorgeous, custom made no doubt. I noticed some of the fabrics we had picked out during our travels. The sofa and love seat were the usual contemporary style, but the fabrics on them made them exceptionally fantastic. The upholstery was two shades of thick lilac velvet and the pillows coordinated perfectly in varying shades of purple and pink, many with sparkly embellishments and fringes.

Fresh flowers were everywhere, on every surface. The entire room smelled like stargazer lilies, one of my many favorites.

After a couple of seconds of basking in the room's beauty, I started to walk in. As soon as I took one step forward, my entire family – with the exception of my mother and I – came walking down the massive staircase dressed in a wide array of costumes. Dad was wearing his usual king attire. Nan and Grampy were dressed like ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Alice and Jasper glided down the staircase wearing attire akin to Arabian royalty. Rosalie and Emmett were next, dressed up as the Cowardly Lion and Glinda the good witch from Wizard of Oz. Rosalie's costume was particularly astonishing, it was a perfect reproduction of the original from the film, puffy sleeves and a skirt the size of Texas. Even the crown looked to be exactly the same. Rosalie wore it much better than Billie Burke had in the film, of course.

Finally, Jacob and mom came out dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad wolf. Jacob has never been a big fan of dressing in costumes. I wasn't even sure how mom managed to creep by me, get dressed, and get all the way upstairs without my noticing. Surely I would have seen her go up the stairs as I watched everyone else walk down.

My family greeted me warmly. They all followed closely behind me as I wandered around my new favorite place in the world. The first place I went was the French doors to my right. I flung them open quickly and walked out onto an immaculate iron and stone balcony with soft fabric flowing from above and opening on the sides. Gold details were painted on the iron scrolls along the pickets and above between the posts. Pastel flowers and ivy were everywhere, even on the trellis over head. The balcony smelled almost as amazing as the playroom.

It was the size of a small bedroom with four plush chaise lounge chairs similar to that of the inside living area. The chairs were pink and purple, matching the inside, but the fabric was more durable. There was a perfect view of the garden, the outdoor living area, and the open area of our property which was mostly wooded, for obvious reasons.

Seeing a perfect sunset would require either being very high or clearing the property, neither of which were an option. The room did face west, but we weren't high enough off the ground to get a good view of the sunset. That was fine, though; mom and dad's room was on the tippy top floor, the only room on the small fourth floor. Their balcony provided the perfect view for watching sunsets, and their chaise loungers were a great place for an afternoon nap – on the rare occasion I was allowed up there. Apparently my nap time was their only alone time and they liked to relax in their room.

Once back inside, I headed for the staircase. Mom held my hand and walked with me, brushing the back of my hand with her thumb. As we reached the top, she pulled out her little magical remote. In the push of a button, the curtains on the windows closed and the massive sparkling crystal chandelier on the ceiling turned off. Until then, I hadn't noticed it or that the ceiling was painted with an elaborate cloudscape. The cloudscape quickly turned to a very dark navy blue and lit up with tiny twinkling lights.

I walked into the bedroom area and did that jaw drop thing again. I was frozen. My bed looked like it was on loan from a fairytale. I admired the scene that was carved into the headboard, running my fingers along the fine details.

"I carved the details in the furniture, Nessie," Jacob said, standing back in the crowd that followed us up the stairs. Emmett often made fun of him, calling him a wood-whittler, but I always found his creations remarkable.

I looked closer and noticed that the wood on the headboard was carved into a picturesque mural of one of my favorite places in the world – First Beach. I particularly loved cliff diving, it was one of my favorite things to do with Jacob when we lived in Forks. The carving was a perfect reproduction of the scene. Driftwood, pretty pebbles, caps on the waves, nearby trees, a whale hovering the surface out in the distance; it was all there. Jacob was more talented than I originally thought.

The furniture in the room matched the ivory bed, though it was the only piece with anything picturesque carved into it. The rest of the furniture had traditional scrolls and posts. Intricate flower groupings adorned the peak of the mirror on the dresser as well as the top drawers of the bedside tables, chest, and the dresser.

On the wall side of the bed was a chair large enough for two adults to sit close to each other. It matched the furniture in the playroom – lilac velvet. The cushions were fluffy, just how I liked. A perfect place for reading books before bed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the top of a different staircase and quickly remembered earlier that when I was entering, on my left under the bedroom area was a closed curtain that matched the entry curtain. After pausing for a few more seconds to take in my new bedroom, I headed for the iron spiral staircase.

I heard the push of another button and the rustling of fabric coming from below as I walked down the stairs. As soon as light peeked through the curtains, I realized that I was standing in more than a closet. It was the most incredible dressing room one could ever fathom.

I thought my hoard of dress-up goodies was respectable before, but I was wrong. I saw all of my old favorites hanging on the racks, along with numerous new dresses in several sizes. I had dresses and clothing from all of my favorite eras, and I even suspected one particular dress was a Civil War era original.

The chandelier over head beamed tiny rainbows on the walls of my dressing room. This space was larger than my old bedroom! Every direction I looked, there was something sparkly. My jaw dropped slightly when I noticed the pedestal and mirrors in the corner that resembled something out of a couture gown shop. And the shoe rack, rows and rows of shoes. I didn't fail to notice what appeared to be slippers made of glass. I thought the bedroom was the best part of all… but I quickly decided that the dressing room was unsurpassed.

I felt overwhelmed. I took a seat in the chaise lounge that was in the center of my dressing room. My family wandered around the playroom and let me have a moment to let it all sink in. Jacob phased back into his human self and the guys all changed into regular clothes. Rosalie, Alice, Nan, and mom remained in their costumes. What female doesn't love to play dress up?

After a minute of relaxing and staring at my colossal dressing room, I decided on what I wanted to do. I had each family member show me what their part was and showed them just how grateful I was. I knew they would want to do this, its human nature to want to take credit for your masterful work. Though no one here was fully human, we all had human feelings.

I had failed to see the walk-in closet full of stage props for all of my favorite stories and nursery rhymes. That explained the big open area and stage off to the side. Props ranging from picnic necessities, a throne, microphones, large stuffed animals, and so on. I had everything I needed to let my imagination soar. The room was complete and perfect, even more than I had ever imagined possible.

When we were finished examining every impeccable detail of my magnificent room, they had another surprise in store for me. Rosalie pushed a tea cart into my playroom. The cake it held was gorgeous. Two tiers, and it matched my new room – Lilac and pink gum-paste flowers covering a pale green backdrop, with a small bouquet of fresh stephanotis flowers on the top complete with tiny rhinestones in the centers of each one. I preferred blood, but I was still half human, and all brands of human like cake. We all sat in the living area of my playroom, only Jacob and I eating the cake. Well, I ate… Jacob, he more-less devoured it.

"No sense in wasting perfectly good food, and it's not like any of you are going to eat it," he mumbled between bites. Jacob never felt inclined to learn proper eating etiquette since he usually ate alone, or hunted with us.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon trying on everything in my dressing room and playing dress up with my family.

Mom and dad moved all of my things from my old room. I kept my previous blanket which I was quite fond of. Luckily it matched the new room. It was antique white with simple embroidered lilac flowers scattered about. The bed skirt was the same lilac as the flowers with a sheer organza overlay which provided a nice 'princess' feel. The coordinating pillows were also antique white. It was understated elegance. The blanket was so soft, and the Egyptian cotton sheets were like silk.

The twinkling lights on my ceiling mesmerized me. Good sleep would not be a difficult task in this room.

**A/N: **

**I love reviews! Here's this chapter's photo album:** picasaweb dot google dot com/fairytalesfanfic930/Chapter2


	3. Bedtime Stories

**A/N: **

**Twilight and its characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. **

Chapter 3. – Bedtime Stories

Jacob POV

When I first found out that Edward could read my mind, I was beyond infuriated. I felt like my privacy was completely violated, I felt robbed of something sacred. After I imprinted on Renesmee, I was eternally thankful that he had the ability to see that I wasn't a sick demented pedophile.

Everyone was generally accepting of the circumstances and the Cullen family took me in, some more welcoming than others. Of course Esme immediately offered me my own bedroom in the Forks house, but sleep was impossible around the thick stench that the Cullen's had left all over everything in the house. Even after I had repeatedly tried to cleanse the room of it, the smell persisted. I slept outside most nights.

When we moved, the Cullen's designed the house with me in mind. They knew I would be a part of their lives for as long as Nessie lived with them. My living quarters were in the house, but separate from everyone else. My bedroom was at the end of the hall where all of the guest rooms were, and I had my own balcony and entryway. Their smell was tolerable during the day, but it was hard to ignore when I was trying to sleep.

They had no use for the guest rooms, and they allowed me to keep them dusted and cleaned so as to not let the smell linger too closely to my bedroom. I didn't mind the cleaning; it helped me feel more at ease about living with them. I did whatever I could to earn my welcome, but the truth of the matter is that I was only earning my own approval. Everyone else accepted me openly. Well, except Rosalie, but she didn't hate me as much as she once did.

I had a lot more free time after we moved to Portland. The only thing I had to occupy myself with was homeschooling with Alice and playing with Nessie. Alice was a great teacher. The others usually didn't sit or stand within a few feet of me due to my smell, but I didn't mind at all because I thought they smelled pretty horrible, too.

But Alice was different. When she was showing me how to do something, she would sit beside me and not even wince or scrunch her nose at my scent. Since she was so kind, I pretend not to notice how her scent almost burned my nostrils when she was in close proximity. The longer I was around them, the less the smell bothered me. Maybe it was the same for Alice.

Since I had so much free time, I decided to get a hobby. I started doing woodwork. I had always been good with my hands, and even tiny details were easy for me. I dabbled in it when I lived at La Push, but the greatest thing I ever did was carve Bella's wolf charm.

After a few months of carving animals and painting them, I decided to try my hand at furniture. I knew Esme wouldn't mind helping me. My first project was a square breakfast table for the bay window off beside the kitchen. I was incredibly nervous when Esme told me that she'd gladly help me, so long as she could show off the finished product. I insisted she not tell anyone that I made it. When the family started spouting out complements and questions regarding the "intricately detailed, heirloom quality breakfast table," my ego soared. When everyone started gushing about Nessie's playroom, I just knew that this would be my special contribution. I custom built all of the furnishings.

Edward, Bella, and I took turns reading with Nessie every night. Some nights, she would want to read to us, others she would want us to read to her. I loved it when she would touch my cheek and show me what she was picturing as she read. Reading with her was the highlight of my day.

Despite Edward's numerous explanations to Rosalie about how I was not a pedophile and how my reading to Nessie in her room was completely innocent, she still stood closely by her bedroom door listening intently. There was nothing disgusting about my reading to Nessie, but it was a special time and I despised that I could hear her near the door.

Edward understood that the way I loved Nessie was similar to the way he loves her, and his love was much different from most fathers. Many fathers are awkward around their daughters because they don't understand the femininity and they are in constant fear of being thought of as too close or doing something inappropriate when the intent was harmless. Society puts a huge burden on fathers and made it difficult for them to bond with their daughters. I understood Edward and he understood me. He knew my undying love and devotion to Nessie just as well as I did. So if I fell asleep beside Nessie while she was reading to me, Edward knew without a doubt that it was perfectly innocent.

It just so happened to be my turn to read with her the day we presented her with the playroom. I felt like a kid. I was excited because I couldn't wait to see the ceiling when it was actually night out and the light of day wasn't peaking through the tiny cracks between the thick drapes. When I entered her new room, I was astonished at how beautiful everything looked under the twinkle of the tiny overhead lights.

As I gazed up at the night sky of the room, I noticed something that I somehow missed in all the time I spent helping Jasper get the electrical wiring just right. There, on the ceiling, was every bit of welcoming I had ever wanted or needed. Words could not express the emotion this sight evoked or the immense gratitude that I felt.

Out of nowhere, Edward, Bella, and Carlisle were standing around me just inside the playroom. I could feel the tears welling up and a lump forming in my throat. I turned to face them.

"How'd—I ju— I mean—…" I gave up talking. I could only imagine the expression on my speechless face.

"Those lights have a special button," Bella explained. Her eyes were soft and warm. She looked me in the eyes and there was no need for words. Her sincerity was written all over her face. She reached out and embraced me tightly. Fire and ice. She ran her fingers through my short hair gingerly.

I'm certain she knew it when my single welled tear escaped me, but I pulled Charlie's trick and buried my face into her wavy brown hair before it could fall. It was no use. I may as well have used Edward's designer shirt to wipe it away. There was no escaping the "all-knowing" Edward.

When Bella released me, Edward reached out for a hug. I was surprised, we played nice with each other but it was hard for us to build a friendship with all of the bad blood between us which was mostly the result of my own arrogance. We were working on it though. His hug wasn't as tight or long as Bella's, more of a quick man-hug, but it was still a nice gesture. More than I would expect from Edward.

He pulled away and ran his fingers through his tousled bronze hair nervously. His eyes met mine for a brief moment. He knew how I felt, and his eyes said everything he wanted to say aloud. Again, there was no need for words.

Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder and turned me to face him. His hand remained on my shoulder as he spoke.

"Jacob, you are a part of our family. We all welcome you, even if you can't see it. I—no, everyone— knows what Renesmee means to you. You belong with our family, and I look at you as a son."

I was speechless… again.

Those words meant everything to me. No one's acceptance meant more to me than Carlisle's. He saw me as his family. He knew that I would be around so long as Renesmee kept me around.

I saw Bella's head turn from the corner of my eye; she was looking at the top of the stairs where Nessie was now standing. She turned to look at me.

"The princess awaits you, Jake. Best not keep her waiting," Bella whispered.

I made eye contact one last time with all of them. It was all I could do. I was still choking back tears and unable to speak as I made my way to the staircase.

When I sat down in the oversized chair with tonight's book in hand, Nessie climbed up into my lap and touched my cheek. She showed me an image of the constellations on her ceiling.

"Tell me the story, Jake. Momma said you would tell me what it means," Nessie said in her sweet, melodic voice. She had me wrapped around her tiny pinky all the way up to her little polished fingernail. She could have asked me to tell her a story about the grim reaper coming for Sponge Bob and I'd do it.

"The one shaped like a wolf is called 'Nulinega,'" I began in a low, soothing tone. "One night, a pack of wolves were attacked by a neighboring pack. The only adults were the mommy and daddy of the single pup who the neighboring pack came to kill. Legend says that this pup was special. He was to be a great warrior. The neighboring pack wanted to eliminate him. The mother and father fought as hard as they could, but they were outnumbered. The mother cried out to her pup 'Run! We will find you!' The pup ran as far and as fast as his tiny legs would allow.

"After a few miles, he ran into a group of mountain lions. The mother lion saw the fear in the pups face and immediately began to protect the little pup from the predators that were coming through the forest, despite the fact that the mountain lions and the wolves were natural enemies. The rival pack of wolves was taken out by the mountain lions, and the pup was welcomed to become part of their family forever. The pup decided to keep the name his parents had given him- Nulinega, which meant 'Strength.'

"When he got older, he fell in love with one of the mountain lions. He was worried that the leader would be upset with him. When he approached the mountain lion that was his father figure, he wasn't sure what his reaction would be to him asking to be with his daughter, who Nulinega referred to as 'Dream Catcher,' forever.

"It was never heard of. The father was overjoyed. His gift to the couple was magically fixing stars in the sky in the shape of Nulinega and his daughter." Nessie stared at me wide eyed throughout the whole story without once looking away.

Nessie wasn't ready to go to sleep, so we read a few tales from her big Mother Goose Treasury. This had been a very exciting day for her. I was surprised it took her so long to fall asleep. My eyes were fighting to stay open.

"Just one more story, my Jacob." She knew calling me "my Jacob" pulled on my heart strings. I was her Jacob. She was the reason I existed, the reason I woke up in the morning, the reason my heart beat, and the reason I lived among eight people who made my nose burn if they got too close. In my eyes, she was the reason the sun came up in the morning and spread hundreds of shades of lilac and pink across the sky, and the reason golden rays shot through to the heavens when it set. Every emotion and feeling in my body belonged to her. So naturally, I turned the page and read on more story.

"Goodnight, my Jacob. I love you," She said, leaning over and kissing my forehead. "Tomorrow after lesson time, can we play dress up? I have lots of new costumes, you won't even have to wear the tights, I promise." Her little voice, so sweet and gentile, was the most beautiful sound God ever created.

"Of course I will. Night, love you too Ness." I kissed her cherub cheek and tucked her in. The word 'love' didn't come close.

**A/N: **

**Here's this chapter's inspirational photo album:** .com/fairytalesfanfic930/Chapter3

**The little tale above is entirely made up. The names I used were found on a website of translations for various American Indian languages. Forgive me if I completely botched something.**


	4. Graduation

**A/N: I do not own Twilight or its characters, Stephanie Meyer does. **

**Finally, a long chapter. The remaining chapters will be about this length. **

Chapter 4. – Graduation

RPOV

By my second actual birthday, I had completed my high school education. Jacob and I finished at the same time. The younger Cullen's decided to stay out of high school and the public eye as much as possible for the first few years in Portland, so we could stay here until I was finished growing. Mom and dad said they probably wouldn't start attending high school again until I started going – which meant about 5 more years if I continued to grow at the "usual" hybrid rate of seven years.

The weekend after Jacob and I finished our last final exams, everyone that was important to us came to Portland. Pop Charlie, Sue – who Pop had become fond of – Renee, Billy, and Rachel, along with many from the pack. Our huge house was filled with guests. The wolves who hadn't brought their mates slept outside, with the exception of Seth. Seth probably wouldn't have minded sleeping anywhere in the house.

I was excited to have Pop Charlie staying with us for the weekend. Pop had only come to visit is in Portland once. It was hard to get a full weekend off work, being that he was the chief of police and only employed two other officers. I think he just preferred us visiting him. He was more comfortable with it.

Renee had never been to the Portland house. She didn't take to mom's mysterious change very well, and she was never very maternal to begin with. Needless to say, grand-parenting did not come natural to her. Since I never spent much time with her, I wasn't nearly as attached to her as I was my other grandparents, Nan Esme, Grampy Carlisle, and Pop Charlie. She felt more like a distant relative, an aunt from out of town, to me. I never dared show her my special gift. It would have sent her running back to Jacksonville, no doubt.

That Saturday, I spent the entire afternoon outside. Our property was massive, so there was never a risk of being seen, and there was always Alice who became more attuned to me after a while of being in the dark. If someone were watching, she'd know it long before. Then there's our sense of smell. We can all smell a human – or any other creature – hundreds of yards away. These wonderful things allowed me to play outside like a normal kid, well as normal a kid can be when her favorite outdoor activity is climbing to the tops of trees.

Our property was close enough to Portland for Carlisle's commute to be tolerable, but far enough out so that we were close to plenty of hunting ground.

Our house was spectacular. Nan and Grampy designed it completely. Three stories with a small fourth story, all sides brick, a gourmet kitchen, eleven bedrooms with their own bathroom, four common bathrooms, a library, class room, hobby rooms for everyone's various leisurely activities, and so many other rooms. It was a good thing we were far from any neighbors and deep in the woods, because our house was quite extravagant. Of course, the outdoor living spaces were equally amazing. Gorgeous wood furniture covered in plush cushions, ivy growing from everything, flowers from around the world, and the stone floor looked more like artwork than rock.

Jacob, Emmett, and I played football for a while along with most of the Quileute guys. Jacob would always be so careful with me, as if he could actually harm me physically. It took me a few games before I finally remembered that unlike us, Jacob wasn't immortal.

Sure he heals fast, but I couldn't stand hurting him. After I broke his arm tackling him, I never forgot again. He tried so hard not to let me know that it hurt, but when I saw the look on my dad's face when we rushed inside the house to Grampy, I knew it was serious. My heart thumped even harder than it usually did. Of course, he was fine in a few days, but it just broke my spirit to see that I had inflicted pain on my Jacob.

After football, Jacob and I went hunting with the pack – minus Leah and her sanctimonious attitude. She couldn't stand to eat this way. I was shocked she even came.

The pack thought they'd do Nan a favor and give her a few less mouths to feed. Nan, of course, was cooking everyone four course meals around the clock. She was an amazing hostess. It's too bad she couldn't really eat human food, because she was an amazing cook. Well, that's what Jacob said anyways. Jacob allowed her to cook most of his meals, after his many failed attempts at doing so himself. He tried switching to microwave meals and sandwiches but after eating Nan's food, he gave up.

Nan was so maternal. She loved Jacob like a son; a russet, warm blooded, mortal, stinky son. Jacob took to her, too. His mother had long past, and I could see it in his warm eyes that he loved and appreciated having a mother figure looking after him.

Nan would always make sure to keep the kitchen stocked with healthy foods. She went out of her way to get his groceries from Whole Foods, rather than the nearby grocer. He was reluctant at first, but after he warmed up to living with my family, he became more comfortable with being cared for.

Jacob did everything he could to contribute. It helped him feel more like he belonged, like he was a productive member of our family and not just an unwelcome visitor.

We ended up playing more than we hunted. It was so much fun to have races with the pack. I wasn't quite as fast as them just yet, but my legs had plenty of growing to do. After all, I was only about the height of a six year old.

"You might be able to break my arm, but I can out-run you any day!!" Jake stuck his tongue out at me then turned his mouth up into his smug grin and headed down the path at full speed.

I darted after him as quickly as I could. He still got to the finish line before I did. I could see on his face that he was planning his next arrogant remark. Before he could speak, I leaped towards him and knocked him over like a bowling pin.

"Ever been beat up by a girl? Oh wait, you have… that's right," I mockingly dug at him as I stood on his flat body, now covered in leaves. He pretended to cower and I stepped down.

Alice started up the path and Jacob quickly started brushing the leaves off his clothes that were now filthy.

"Don't tell anyone that you pinned me and I won't tell anyone I beat you up the path for the hundredth time." His eyes were pleading, but still mocking. I jumped into his arms and touched his cheek. I showed him an image of me with a golden halo hovering above my head, implying that I would be a good girl.

"Time to get you two cleaned up. Geez, how'd you get so filthy?" Aunt Alice looked at Jacob, still trying to dust himself off inconspicuously. I was still pretty clean, with the exception of my bronze locks which were tousled and tangled around my pink headband that perfectly matched my pink and blue poppy fabric outfit.

Alice and my mom both loved to dress me in the most darling custom clothing. We rarely shopped in traditional clothing stores, thought the boutiques did offer quite a bit of adorable children's clothing. Most of my clothes came from custom designers.

"I uh, tripped on a fallen tree over off the path."

Alice pretended to believe him. "Sure, Sure," she said, taking his famous words.

When we went in the house, nothing looked out of the ordinary. I went with mom into my amazing bedroom to get changed. I had a feeling there was something going on, why else would all of these people be here? I just played along and pretended to be completely oblivious.

My eyes popped wide open when I noticed the new gown hanging in my dressing room. It was, by far, the most spectacular gown I'd been given thus far. The bodice was black satin, trimmed in three strands of pearls across the front, and lace trimmed the neckline. The sleeves were short and fluffy, coming just off the shoulder. The skirt was the most amazing part of all, it was five tiers. The tiers were satin and tulle with tiny pearls sewn in place. It looked like confetti, or stars against a black sky. The dress looked like a modern rendition of a Victorian gown. I loved big, frilly gowns; this one topped them all. The black satin ballet slippers with pearl accents were icing on the cake.

Mom brushed my hair gently and longer than necessary. I loved to have my hair brushed. I could tell by moms breathing that she was getting emotional. I looked at her golden eyes and her breathtaking face as she fixed the front of my hair just right. I reached up and ran my fingers through her perfect tresses. When our eyes met, I could see the happiness on her face.

"Renesmee, you never cease to take my breath away. Why have I been blessed with such a wonderful little angel?" Mom pulled me into her lap in the big chair by my bed. We shared a cuddle.

"Mommy…" but I decided to show her instead. I touched her cheek. Images of her protecting me from the Volturi, her burying any desire for my blood the moment she first saw me, and finally the image of her stroking my cheek and humming me to sleep. When she was feeling emotional, she just couldn't understand how she had been so lucky in life. Mom was the most selfless, caring, compassionate person in the world. She just couldn't see it.

"I love you," she whispered as she buried her face in my curly hair and kissed my head.

We held hands as we walked at a human pace toward my balcony. We didn't need words. The sun was starting to set on our fall afternoon. My balcony faced west, so we could see the golden rays reaching up to the sky as the sun set in the distance. We stood there, soaking in the fiery pink and yellow hues while she held me on her hip.

The breeze blew mom's hair and it tickled my neck. Jacob came and stood beside us on the balcony, admiring the sunset.

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." Jacob had obviously showered and changed.

His short hair was gelled into my favorite messy style. He usually dressed casually and was reluctant to wear the designer clothes that were purchased for him, so I was shocked when I noticed his couture attire. Jacob donned a dark gray Valentino suit, complete with a six button waistcoat. His shirt was striped in shades of gray and white. His silk tie was solid black. I couldn't believe my eyes, he was even wearing the Baume & Mercier watch that everyone gave him for Christmas, and his cufflinks matched the ensemble perfectly. I thought Jake was handsome in dirty jeans and his old t-shirts, but he looked just stunning in the suit. He looked like a man, with his broad shoulders and towering height. He even smelled nice, like something from Emmett's cologne collection.

"So you really were paying attention during Alice's literature lessons, huh?" mom said as she continued to gaze at the colorful artwork the sun was providing us.

"Of course, do you think she would have let me graduate if I skimmed through all of her instruction?"

"I'm very proud of you two; I know you worked very hard. Knowledge is the wisest investment there is." Her mouth cracked open and she took in a breath as if she were about to speak, but when she finally turned to look at him, she couldn't. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly wider in shock. She blinked twice quickly and stood motionless, taking in his utter perfection.

"Jacob, you look—" but Jake interrupted.

"Thanks, you too Bells. And Nessie, you look absolutely adorable," he paused and looked out to the colorful sky, "Alright, let's go. I was sent out to get you two, not evoke emotion and vocalizations about the sentimentality of graduation." Jacob wiped all sensitivity that the peaceful moment had induced off his face, trying to get his "game face" on.

He couldn't help but smile my favorite wide smile that came all the way up his eyes once he noticed that I was reaching for him to carry me. He held the door open like a gentleman. His table manners would take time to improve, but he was learning how to treat a lady rather quickly. Maybe Alice incorporated it into his education.

We walked toward the formal dining room at a human pace. I enjoyed walking like this whenever I was anticipating something special. I liked the way my emotions engulfed me as I walked toward things I knew would plant a huge smile on my face.

The formal dining room was on the opposite side of the house. I enjoyed my Jacob carrying me for a couple of minutes before I touched his flushed cheek to request that he put me down. His face looked a bit disappointed and confused at first, but once he saw me prancing and dancing as I walked down the long hallway, he understood.

Mom joined my prance. Her gown wasn't fluffy like mine, but still very elegant. I couldn't put my finger on the designer, so it must have been a custom. It, too, was black satin and accented with tiny pearl beading along the bodice and neckline. Hers, however, had thin spaghetti straps and flowed flawlessly over her dainty curves, a few inches dragging the ground behind her when she walked.

Mom stopped in front of the intricately detailed double doors that opened to the formal dining room, which resembled a banquet hall more than a dining room in a residential home. She turned and walked to stand behind Jacob and me. In the brief moment that I waited for the doors to open, I could feel the anticipation building. My heart raced and my smile spread across my entire face. My feet fidgeted in my ornate ballet slippers. I was holding two of Jacob's beasty fingers and fiddling with his fingernail, while my other hand was fidgeting with the top tier of my dress. When I heard the handle on the door creak, I froze in place and stopped breathing.

Grampy slowly opened the door to my right while Nan opened the door to the left. They gazed at us in admiration then gestured for us to walk inside. The ceiling was draped with white gossamer, starting from the early nineteenth century chandelier and spreading outward to the walls. The long table was covered with glowing candles, fresh flowers that filled the room with their bouquet, and napkins that were folded into graduation caps. In the center was a large ice sculpture of two graduation caps, one larger than the other. The sculpture was lit up by pale gray lights, casting the color through the ice. Black, pure pearly white, and gray where everywhere. Balloons floated along the walls. Some in groups, others in lines that formed arches from the floor to the ceiling. Iridescent pearl confetti covered everything... the table, chairs, and even the floor.

Our dining table only had 12 chairs; so to accommodate the extra guests, Esme had placed a grouping of chiavari chairs and a round table in the floor to ceiling window area where the piano was usually kept. They were just slightly off white and had gray organza bows tied around the backs.

There were three tables along the back wall. The first one I noticed was the one holding all of mine and Jake's favorite sweet treats. My eyes were immediately drawn to the three tier chocolate fountain that stood beside the cascade of fresh fruits. A second small, round table stood between the confections table and the human food table. In the center of the round table was a square four tier cake. Edible pearly beads formed diagonal lines, gray fondant trimmed the bottom two inches of each tier, and two gray graduation caps perched perfectly at the top. Two tiers were my favorite, French vanilla cake with strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting. The other two tiers were Jake's favorite, plain 'ole chocolate cake with plain 'ole chocolate icing. Very "Jacob."

The other table was brimming with human food that I had no interest in even evaluating any further other than to acknowledge it was an area I didn't need to waste my time with. I'd tried all sorts of foods with Jacob, but the only thing that ever appealed to me was heavenly desserts.

As we entered, our family and guests began to form a line to greet us. They – the pack members in attendance and their spouses and significant others, nine Cullens, Billy, Pop, Sue, and Renee – each took a moment to embrace and congratulate us.

When we finally finished with the procession, Jacob and I made our way to the food. I practically danced the entire way, Jake twirling me a few times and gazing down at me in a way he saved only for me – a gaze he once defined as "adoration and love for the most precious creation in the history of the world." I shook my ringlets out of my face and smiled his favorite smile back at him.

I swished my hips from side to side, enjoying the twirl of my elegant dress while Jacob made my plate. He knew what I liked just as well as he knew his own preferences. I sat at the head of the table in dad's lap. My dress covered his legs plus the entire oversized seat cushion. Jacob sat to my right and our guests occupied the remaining seats at the two tables. The Cullens stood and mingled with the guests while everyone ate. No one asked questions; those who didn't know, knew better than to ask.

I looked over at Jake while I gingerly ate my confections. He was actually doing pretty well in the manners department. He used the appropriate silverware, had his napkin in his lap, and took normal sized bites. I was quite pleased. He looked so handsome; sitting in this exquisite room, wearing Valentino and cologne, his hair perfectly tamed, and using good manners. I had never seen him this way before. He was so polished, so opulent. He just might fit in with the Cullen family after all.

I didn't talk much during our meal. I wasn't much of a talker anyways, especially if I was occupied. I preferred to observe things. In addition to my ability to show people things, I had become proficient at reading peoples expressions and emotions. It wasn't really a special talent, just something I picked up along the way. Since I spent most of my first year showing people my thoughts, I had just become accustomed to living that way.

I could tell that Billy was perfectly comfortable with the company around him. He was thrilled that Jacob graduated high school so quickly and with such great grades. Pop had become a much more cheery person to be around since my birth. It's like I brought out all of the pent up emotion and feeling that he had buried over the years. His smile was so warm and sincere. When I looked in his eyes, it was like I could see right through to the depths of his selfless, tender soul. The rich brown color resembled my own remarkably. Renee's face was a bit bitter. I could see her cutting glances at Nan, who mom had become particularly close to since she was changed. Nan was her mother figure, and would be for centuries to come. Distance had crippled hers and moms relationship.

She couldn't exactly travel to Florida regularly, and Renee came to Forks as little as humanly possible. Renee didn't take to me like everyone else did. She seemed to feel like I took her daughter away, like I was the reason she didn't keep better contact. She was cordial to everyone during her visit, but I wasn't the only one who suspected her feelings. Dad confirmed it, but assured me that the distance between her and mom had absolutely nothing to do with me.

Dad read Renee's thoughts on a few occasions since my birth. He tried not to, because it was hard for him to resist rebuttal against some of her mental accusations and suspicions. I couldn't help but not attach myself to her. The first time I saw her, I could see in her eyes that she was jealous. Excellent hearing abilities came with its downfalls; I overheard many conversations that I'd rather not have. I heard dad unleashing his rage on Jasper's knowing ears after the first time she left. That rant was enough for me to draw my conclusions about her. I trusted my father's judgments of people and assumed them as my own most of the time. His opinions were always logical and very trustworthy.

As everyone was finishing up their meal, Rosalie pushed out an antique serving cart brimming with crystal champagne flutes, bottles of fine champagne, and bottles of sparkling grape juice. Carlisle stepped forward and began to pour champagne for the adults in the room, plus half of one for Jacob, and sparkling grape juice for the few who were under age. I noticed Seth grimace ever so slightly as he realized he wouldn't be partaking in the good stuff.

After all the glasses were distributed, Carlisle tapped a remaining glass with a fork and Alice stepped to the center of the room.

"Jacob, Renesmee, I would like to congratulate you both. I witnessed myself the hard work and dedication that was put into earning your diplomas. To be honest, I expected you, Jacob, to be a bit difficult and uncooperative, you were anything but." Alice's eyes twinkled with sincerity and affection as she looked toward Jacob. "And Renesmee, the speed in which you mastered every subject I presented you with is absolutely astounding. I wish nothing but the best for both of you in your futures. I have no doubt that the two of you will become successful and accomplish everything you truly set your mind to." That meant a lot coming from Alice. "Now, since you two didn't get to do the customary high school activities, we will conclude our celebration in the drawing room."

I was thrilled the commencement speech was kept short and sweet. Alice led Jacob and I to the drawing room, the others walked behind us. I continued to dance and twirl along the way. As we approached the drawing room, I could see a soft glow of light coming out into the hallway. Apparently dad had slipped out of the dining room before everyone else, because I heard the song he had written for me playing on the piano, slow and serene with intermittent hints of quicker chirpy high notes.

Once we entered, I realized what we were walking into. The furniture had been moved to open up a large space in the center of the room and everything was decorated similarly to the dining room. Twinkling lights hung from everywhere, including the ceiling. They were throwing us a prom.

Dad continued to play the piano as couples began making their way to the center of the drawing room to dance. My first dance was with Jacob. He picked me up and held me against his chest. He spun and shuffled around the dance floor gracefully, to my surprise. This must have been part of his lessons, too. Valentino, cologne, manners, AND dancing??

I took in his smell as I inhaled with my head rested on his shoulder. It was definitely something from Emmett's bathroom, but it smelled differently on his skin, more masculine and musky. He hummed along with the music, his voice deep and smooth. He had heard the tune almost as many times as I had. I played with his hair as we sauntered across the dance floor. When the song concluded, the stereo system began to play soft music.

"May I cut in?" Dad placed a hand on my back and gestured for Jacob to put me down.

"Would you care for dance, Miss High School Graduate?"

"Of course, daddy." I touched his cheek and showed him that I wanted to stand on his feet. He lifted me gently and placed my feet on top of his. He shuffled all across the dance floor, occasionally twirling me. A smile lit up his entire face and his eyes looked jubilant. I believe that if he could have cried tears of joy, he would have.

"I'm so proud of you, Ness. You never cease to amaze me," he said as he lifted me to dance the way I had with Jacob. It was more of a hug than a dance. As the song concluded, he kissed my cheek lightly and stood me up in front of him. His cool hand ran across my cheek and I smiled my big 'Daddy's girl' smile. He stepped aside so that others could have a turn to dance with me.

There were too many people for everyone to have a turn, but I'm certain I danced with at least half of those in attendance. It was such a wonderful evening, nothing like anything I had ever experienced. I pretended to be a princess almost every day, but today I felt more like one than I ever had. As soon as I started thinking about how tired I was, my dad started making his way back to me.

He crouched down and whispered in my ear in a volume so low that only Cullen's could hear it.

"You'll have plenty of proms when you're older, so there's no need to stay up all night if you're tired. Would you like me to read you a story now?"

I nodded my head in agreement and smirked at the thought of my future. I was exhausted, and he was right. There would be plenty of opportunities for me to dance the night away. Had I known I would be presented with this opportunity, I would have taken a long nap instead of spending my afternoon running around outside. I reached up to my dad for him to carry me and he lifted me up with ease. As I rested my head on his shoulder, he rested his head on mine and breathed in the smell of my hair, "sweet as honey," he'd always say.

We walked at a human pace to my dressing room and I changed into my favorite nightgown – it looked like an heirloom, white cotton trimmed with pale lilac and white lace along the bottom and sleeves. It came almost to my ankles and was so soft and comfortable. Nan had it made in every size from baby to ten year old. When I stepped out of the dressing room, he quickly came inside from the balcony. My hand reached out for his and we walked up the stairs together.

"Daddy, will you tell me a story this time? I think it's about time for some new books."

"Of course, anything in particular you'd like to hear?"

"Non-fiction?"

"Okay." He sounded confused as he gracefully sat down in my plush chair. I hopped along and jumped up onto the tall bed that most children would require a step stool for. As I wiggled my way into my usual perfect ball, he began to tell me a non-fiction story.

"Once upon a time, daddy and mommy were in high school—" I cut him off.

"No, daddy. I want to know about Jacob. How is he part of our family? He is so different." The last statement sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Well..." He looked around my room as he contemplated what he was about to say. Dad was always a great speaker, but my request seemed to baffle him.

"Well, you know Jacob is a wolf," he paused for a moment and ran his hand through his hair. "Wow, honey, this is really not a good bedtime story. And to be honest, I'm really not sure how to explain without getting into details that I'm just not ready for you to know." His face looked concerned and confused as his eyes met mine, which I'm sure also looked confused.

"Is he our family?"

"In many ways – all of the important ones – yes. He is not a Cullen, but he will be a part of our family for all eternity."

"So how did he become a part of our family, if he wasn't before and isn't like you and mommy?"

"Hmm... Let's make a deal. I'll answer this last question, then I'll sneak and get you a few strawberries if you let me off the hook. Deal?" I tried giving him my famous wide-eyed pouty face, but his firm expression didn't falter.

"Alright then, I guess," I folded. Someone had to, and I could tell it wasn't going to be him.

"Jacob became a part of our family because he loves and cares for you and your mother very, very much." His answer left much to be desired, but I could tell by the look on his face that that was all I was getting out of him tonight.

I climbed out of bed and plopped in his lap on the oversized chair. His cool hands situated me so that my head was lying on his shoulder. He began to hum my song to me.

If I asked him, he probably would have brought the piano into my room and played it. I could have anything in the world that my heart desired from a number of people, but I never took it for granted or abused their willingness to bend to my every fancy. As he hummed, he patted my ringlets and ran his fingers through my hair. I looked up at his face admiringly. I was going to speak, but a yawn escaped before I could.

"Night, my sweet angel. My sweet high school graduate angel. I love you." He kissed my cheeks and carried me to my bed.

"Love you more," I said softly as I snuggled into my blankets and pillows.

"Impossible." He whispered as he leaned down to kiss my forehead and brush the hair from my face. I completely forgot about the strawberries as I dozed off into dreamland.

**A/N: Review! :-)**

**I hope no one is disappointed that I've elected to leave the bulk of the pack's personal lives out of the story. Since the pack isn't a big part of the plot, I feel like it's irrelevant. You Leah fans might not like the way she's portrayed in my story. Sorry… I'm just not a big fan of her. I could get into the logic of it, but this isn't the first fic where Leah continues to be a bitter person. **

**Here's this chapter's album!** picasaweb dot google dot com/fairytalesfanfic930/Chapter4


	5. Mother

**A/N: **

**Thanks to my three reviewers :-). You made me smile. ****I am still looking for a beta. Sorry it took me a few days to post. I have this story complete and plan to add a chapter every day but my daughter came down with the flu and I haven't been able to leave her side until now. **

**Twilight and all of its trademarks belong to Stephanie Meyer, not me. **

Chapter 5. - Mother

JPOV

"Holy mother F-- Good God. Aaaahh!!" I yelled as I stood, rocking and trying to examine my thumb that I had just hammered into with all of my strength. That's one of the pitfalls of constructing things. The joy I took in it was worth the occasional – and very temporary – injury.

Esme had employed my services. She wanted me to build custom shelving and benches for the mudroom. It already had a nice set, but she wanted them to match the color and styling of the breakfast table, since it was nearby the entrance to the mudroom.

Esme tried to find things for me to do for our home as much as possible. I felt more like this was my home after the constellation in Nessie's playroom, but I still had my reservations, and I loathed being financially dependent on the Cullen's. Sometimes I felt just useless, and occasionally when Esme would cook me something particularly pricey - like lobster or crab legs - I would feel guilty for having to use more resources than the others. They didn't need to spend money on things like food, beverages, toilet paper, or hair cuts.

Esme had slowly become more and more of a mother figure to me. She took care of me in all of the ways a human mother would take care of her son. I had warmed up to all of the Cullen's – some more so than others – but particularly her. She knew how I felt.

Edward never outright told anyone my thoughts, just like he didn't with anyone else, but if Esme asked him simple questions, he would tell her the truth. Alice and I had also become fairly close since we spent so much time together while I was getting my high school diploma. It was her that told me about Esme asking Edward questions. Her questions were never anything too personal, and her intentions were harmless. Since she had this wonderful resource, she knew that I didn't like feeling useless and I felt like I wasn't earning my keep.

Carlisle was the only one who worked - well, you could call Alice's international investment portfolio work - and they were all fine with it. I, however, wasn't. Esme dabbled in interior decorating here and there, but it wasn't full time. I felt like my life outside of Renesmee was without purpose. I needed to feel like a productive member of society, and living under Carlisle's roof without providing any kind of financial contribution wasn't sufficient for me. I felt guilty for doing it. I worried that any day now I would wake up and my welcome mat would be bare threads. It didn't take Esme long to figure out a solution - put me to work.

Getting a "real job" was out of the question for now. We hoped to stay in Portland for as long as possible, and therefore tried to stay out of the public eye. Since Portland was much larger than Forks, it didn't have that "everybody knows everybody" community, so Carlisle thought we would be safe until Renesmee finished growing. I earned my keep by doing things around the house that would normally require a professional - pressure washing, cutting the lawn, buffing and waxing the floors, cleaning out the pool, and so on.

My personal favorite was bringing Esme's furniture ideas to life. She would sketch and I would build. She could probably have learned to do it herself, and could definitely hire a professional, but she knew what it meant to me.

"Jacob, what's wrong? Are you okay? I heard you scream." Esme entered my workshop from behind me, her voice and face clearly displaying her worry.

"I'll be fine; I just slammed my thumb on accident." I was holding it close to my body as I tried to compose myself in hopes of easing her mind.

"Come, let's have Carlisle take a look."

"No, it's fine. I didn't break or cut anything, so I should be fine in about an hour. I'm just going to take a break until its better." Her eyes still looked worried. "Okay, if it's still red and swollen in an hour, I'll have Carlisle look at it." I knew it would be fine by then.

"Alright, just take it easy. You know, taking a nice long break from all of your hard work might help increase your concentration and focus." Her eyes started to ease a bit, but there was something else lingering behind them.

"Esme, I take breaks every day. I play with Nessie for hours on end, hunt with her, and hang out with the guys. I relax. Plus, this work is satisfying, so it's not so much work as it is a hobby—"

She interrupted, "But when your mind isn't on Renesmee, it's on your feelings and responsibilities. Jacob, you know you are a part of this family. I see you as a son as much as I see Jasper or Emmett as my son. We were all outsiders at one point. If we didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here.

"This isn't just about Renesmee. You were brought into this family because of Renesmee, yes, but you are not a burden to anyone. Alice and Jasper came into our family because they wanted to live the way we do. They had no emotional attachment to us or us to them, they were strangers, but their kind and honest souls were enough for us to welcome them with open arms. Even if Renesmee were never born—" My heart dropped at the sound of that statement. "we would have still welcomed you to our family if you wanted to have us. Please, Jacob. Believe what I am telling you." She walked toward me gracefully, stepping over piles of wood and rubble in her designer heels, and hugged me despite the fact that my clothes were covered in sawdust.

"Jacob, I love you. We all do."

I questioned the "all" part, but I could tell that she truly meant what she said. I held her to me and thought about what she said. My emotions were soaring and I felt like I might cry. I hadn't had a mother in so long, and this woman took me in as her own, as a cat would take in a puppy that had been abandoned by its mother. I hadn't exactly been abandoned, but it felt great to have a mother. My heart soared and I let my emotions wash over me. I pulled away from her and put my hands on her petite shoulders.

"I love you, too, Esme." We shared a sincere gaze for a moment, tears began to well in my eyes, but I pulled her back to me before they could fall. "But I still insist on earning my keep," I said jokingly to lighten the moment. We laughed, and she knew I meant it. Esme's face looked as if she had just shed a few tears herself, overjoyed and filled with emotion.

"Fine." Her face looked focused on something else, something far away. She smirked at me and walked through the debris on the ground like she was walking barefoot across carpet. I didn't even want to know what she was contemplating. I felt like retribution was right around the corner.

I left the workshop and, like instinct, went to find my girl in the colossal mansion. I found her in the playroom, of course, with Bella. They both heard me coming, but didn't stop their activities. Nessie was lying across Bella's lap with a pretend baby bottle in her mouth. Bella tickled Nessie's foot and her giggle sounded like that of an infant. When I was standing a few feet away from the rocking chair where they sat, they both finally acknowledged my presence.

"Baby Nessie is having lunch." Bella then lifted Nessie up to her shoulder and patted her back, as if to burp her. After a few pats, she faked a little burp.

"Mama, JAY JAY!" she said in a baby voice while pointing at me.

"Should I come back later? I hate to interrupt your playtime together; I was just looking for something to do."

"I thought you were working on the new mudroom digs?" Bella asked as she went back to rocking Nessie like an infant. Nessie was focused on her mother's face admiringly as she played with Bella's hair.

"Well, I umm, need to take a little break," I replied. Esme murmured my reasoning from across the house.

"You're hurt??" Bella said with a tone similar to what Esme had used earlier in the workshop. Nessie's focus quickly changed from Bella's face to me, eyeing my swollen red thumb.

"No, I'm fine. Really." Vampires and their damn supersonic hearing.

"Well, I need to speak with Esme for a moment, care to take over 'Jay Jay'?"

"My JAY JAY! JAY JAY!" I hoped this nickname wasn't permanent, although the baby voice was quite adorable. I scooped her up from Bella's lap.

"Whaddya say we take a walk?"

"I'll go get my shoes!" She broke from her baby character quickly and darted to her dressing room to retrieve her sneakers.

We walked around the garden together, taking in the sights and smells. Nessie's favorite flower was the purple passion flower. Esme had rows of purple passion flowers growing on ornate iron trellises. The flowers were very complex in shape, and more unique than any flower I had ever seen- much like my Renesmee.

"Please tell me you aren't going to start calling me Jay Jay," I pleaded with Nessie as we walked hand in hand through the two acre garden.

"No. That's just baby talk, silly. But you better hope no one over heard it. I should have thought about that before I said it aloud," Nessie said jokingly, her face looking up at me with an apologetic grin.

"Oh wonderful. I can hear Em and your dad already."

"If I hear any mention of it, I'll tell them to keep their mouths— Oh, look at this one!" She was distracted by a rather large purple passion flower.

"Anyways, how's your thumb feeling?" I glanced down at it, evaluating before responding.

"Back to normal. I should probably get back to work. I don't have much more to do and I want to finish up. I'm getting low on funds."

I had Esme pay me in pieces for projects like this. The first payment covered supplies, if I needed money I'd ask for a small advance, and she paid whatever amount she determined in the end. It was always too much, but refusing it was not an option. She felt bad enough that I insisted on working for my money, I couldn't gripe if it were too much.

"Race me back?" And she took off immediately, without even waiting for my reply.

I took off after her. Thanks to her head start, she actually beat me. That was pretty uncommon and always required her having a head start. Watching her run was so unusual. She was so small, and still a bit slow compared to the rest of us. Her bronze curly hair flowing down her back looked like fluid embers when she ran. You'd never look at her – in her adorable custom clothing and perfect curls – and think she were capable of attacking animals, climbing ancient trees with ease, or running at inhuman speeds.

After I walked Nessie back inside, I headed to the shop to finish up. It didn't take long. It had already been practically finished but needed a couple of extra support beams added in the back.

Esme was in the kitchen preparing my dinner when I came inside. The house was quiet; several Cullen's were out for the day. I wasn't sure who was here, though, so I was trying with all of my might to think of anything but Nessie calling me 'Jay Jay' earlier.

"Hey, Esme! What's for dinner?"

"Oh just some grilled chicken alfredo. How's your thumb?"

"All better, just as I thought. I finished with the benches and stuff."

"Oh, wonderful!! Emmett, Jasper, can you bring it in from the shop?" Even after over two years of living with them, it still caught me off guard when they had these conversations from across the mansion without ever raising their voices higher than conversation level. Esme's voice was higher than usual, but not out of necessity. She seemed particularly excited about the new furniture.

"They're going to look great. I added some extra support beams to the backs. They would probably fine, but just to be safe."

Emmett and Jasper brought the pieces in through the mudroom door. They could have easily handled the weight of the objects with one hand, but they were bulky and difficult to maneuver through the doorways alone. Esme joined them in the mudroom and admired her new furnishings.

"Thanks boys, I'll arrange them in a bit." She made her way back to the kitchen to finish preparing my dinner. I decided to keep her company, though my heart was pulling me to Renesmee's general direction.

"So, what's going on in your life these days? Anything interesting?" My girl must have heard me talking to Esme. She came running in and gracefully hopped up onto the stool beside me at the counter.

"Oh not much, really. You?" There was never anything new. Well, nothing that wasn't known by the entire household within minutes of its occurrence.

"No, not really. I'm going into town tomorrow to get some shopping done. I need some shoes and a hair cut for sure. Do you need me to pick anything up?"

"No, but thank you Jake. I went to town a few days ago."

"Can I come?! I need some books!" Nessie loved shopping, almost as much as Alice. I could handle a book store. Thank God she didn't say she needed new toys or clothes. That was not my forte at all.

"As long as your dad says its okay, the answer is yes." Her eyes twinkled and she hugged my neck, petting my hair. My heart melted. Esme placed my plate in front of me as she smiled her uplifting, maternal smile.

After dinner I immediately got in the shower. Sweat combined with sawdust wasn't a pleasant smell. I tried not to stay in for longer than necessary. Last time I did that, Emmett and Edward were snickering and making comments as to what they suspected I had been doing. Edward knew I was just showering. Raging hormones and self gratification were at the bottom of my priority list.

I had my own bathroom, of course. My shower was massive with marble floor and walls and a long bench. Shower heads from all directions. Who wouldn't want to sit in that thing for an hour? I decided to risk the ridicule and sit there for however long I felt like it.

I just lay on the long bench, letting the heat relax my tired muscles. The water was so hot I was sweating, but I didn't mind. The bulbs on this side of my much-larger-than-necessary bathroom were fairly dim, and every room and bathroom had surround sound, so between the low lights and the sound of my favorite tunes, this shower was my place of serenity. After becoming nearly comatose from all of the relaxation, I forced myself to step out of my warm tranquility and into the cold air of the house. Ugh.

I wrapped myself in one of the Egyptian cotton towels Alice had given me for Christmas last year. She gave me a robe as well, but I couldn't bring myself to use it. She should have known that. We definitely didn't have towels like this on the reservation.

My muscles were still mush, as if I had just spent an hour in a steam room, and my body temperature was still slightly higher than its usual 108.9 degrees. I should have dried myself off and dressed, but instead I just landed in the bed. I hadn't been getting enough sleep – staying up late working on Esme's project, then getting up early with Nessie. I rolled onto my side to get comfortable and noticed a small package on my dresser. Despite my body's attempt at resisting, I forced myself out of the comfortable bed.

The package was a long rectangle, like a larger version of a jewelry box. The wrapping was simple- light blue with an ivory bow that was just short of being ostentatious. The small hang tag was ivory and written in the most beautiful script were the words _'To my Son.'_

The possibility that it could have been from my dad never crossed my mind. I knew exactly who it was from. The only mother I had ever truly known – Esme. I was very young with my biological mother died, so to me it was almost like I never had one.

I opened the package, being careful to not rip the bow to shreds. On the top of everything in the package, there was a small envelope which contained an ivory note card resting atop a pile of tissue paper.

_Jacob, _

_Carlisle and I would like to present you with this gift. You have earned every bit of it. We haven't told Renesmee, so you go ahead after you open it. I know how much you love to make her smile. Thank you so much for the love and happiness you have brought to our family. Oh, and thanks for the mudroom furnishings. They look great! _

_With love, _

_Esme_

Before I opened the gift any further, I had to put some clothes on. I would want to thank Carlisle and Esme for whatever it was. Though it was late and I was really ready for bed, I decided to dress somewhat decent instead of pajamas. I wore one of the shirts Esme had bought me – I knew it would make her smile – and a pair of my favorite jeans. I combed my hair neatly then placed the box on my bed.

I sat down and pulled out the tissue that was on the top. Nothing shiny was showing, good. Too big to be car keys, good. Alas, two envelopes- one a large manila, the other looked like a normal envelope. I saved the best for last and opened the small one first. Inside was a thick stack of cash and another note-

_'This is for the furniture. You really did an amazing job!' _

Five stacks of hundreds totaling $5,000. I was used to $500, $1,000 if it was something complicated, but five-thousand-dollars?! I never wanted much for my jobs; just enough to get the essentials like clothes, hair cuts, shoes, and so on. Providing me with a place to live and food in my stomach was more than enough. What on earth was I going to do with this much money? They never let me pay for anything, and I wasn't one for lavish material objects. Saving that thought for later, I moved on to the larger envelope, wondering how on earth it could top the first one.

I was a little confused at first. I dumped the contents onto the bed. Part of a picture snuck out from between all of the papers. When I pulled the picture away from the documents, everything made sense. All of this happening in a matter of seconds. It was a picture of Isle Esme.

I had never been there, but heard enough about it to know without a doubt that this was what I was looking at. It looked like it was taken during the boat ride to the mainland. You could see the huge house, the beach, and lush vegetation galore. I examined all of the contents- plane tickets, a passport, the photo, a list of recommended pre-trip shopping, and a schedule. Wow, they were giving me a vacation. How perfect. I was starting to get jealous of the others after all their trips, but no way was I going out of the country without Nessie.

All of the Cullen couples traveled to Isle Esme occasionally. Sometimes just for a weekend, other times for a couple of weeks. It was never a family event, but alone time for the couples. There was no privacy in the Cullen home. Occasionally a couple would stay in town at a hotel for the night. I tried as hard as I could not to imagine the reasons behind the outings. I never went to the island, though. One, I was never invited to; two, I never had any desire to go wherever Renesmee was not.

The trip would begin two weeks from today. According to the lengthy schedule, we would arrive on the island around 11:00 pm island time. My mind drifted to Nessie and how bored she would be during the long flights. Trips to Forks were easy for her, since she almost always slept the entire way, and the drive was less than 5 hours. When she returned from the girls shopping trip to China, she didn't whine much about the long flight, but she could have been doing that to spare me the negative energy. With all of the gadgets in the house, I'm sure we could come up with something to keep us occupied.

I had never been out of the country or inside an airplane. Well, I had been inside Canada, but that doesn't really count. It was more like visiting a neighboring state, and there definitely wasn't anything exciting to see in Cananda.

The recommended shopping list was inevitable, but I decided I'd spare myself for now. The length of it was enough to give me nightmares. At least they didn't just buy everything on the list for me the way they did with designer clothes, watches, and shoes. I put everything back inside the box. Tanking my parental figures for such an incredible present was the only thing I wanted to do at that moment.

As I made my way around the house in search of Carlisle and Esme, I saw Alice curled up on a chair in the family room. She glanced up at me and smiled her wide, energetic smile.

"They're in Carlisle's study," Alice said as she gazed at me as if she wanted to say more.

"But how'd you…." I didn't understand.

Alice had overcome her inability to see anything that involved me after a full year of working on it, but she still couldn't read anything specifically related to me if no one else was involved. She probably saw Esme and Carlisle planning the trip and giving me the gift, but she shouldn't have been able to see my reaction to it and decision to search the house for them. Her face looked thrilled that I opened the line of conversation.

"Well, I was going to wait until you were done speaking with Carlisle and Esme, but since you asked… My little problem with reading you; it's getting BETTER!" She jumped out of her chair from all the excitement and stood across from me. "I have been getting tiny bits and pieces for a couple of weeks. I've been focusing intently on them and trying to build on them. Then a few minutes ago, I just saw it clear as day. You were walking toward your bedroom door to go find Carlisle and Esme. I couldn't see why exactly, but other things I'd already seen brought me to the obvious conclusion. Now, get to the study. Come back after you tuck in Ness, though." It hadn't even occurred to me that her bedtime was nearing. Alice must have been really making progress. Her giddiness reminded me of a child who just learned how to ride a bike.

"That's great news! I hate to run, but I need to see Carlisle and Esme. I'll be back in a bit." I turned to walk away when suddenly Alice was wrapping her cold arms around my torso.

"Yes, you will!" she said, as if the vision of her and I chatting later just popped into her head. She rested her head on my chest briefly and took in a deep breath. "You know, Jake, you really smell a lot better right after a long shower."

"I better stop showering, then. See you in a little bit." I saw her grimace as I turned to walk away.

Carlisle and Esme were exactly where Alice said they'd be, in his study. They didn't look terribly occupied when I knocked on the open door. It looked like they were just having a casual conversation.

"Come in, Jacob. Have a seat." Carlisle gestured toward the unoccupied leather wingback chair beside Esme.

I wasn't sure what to say or how to say it. This whole family thing was still new to me. Every day since Esme and I shared our 'I love you,' I felt more and more comfortable. That didn't mean I magically became better at explaining my feelings.

"Thanks," I said in a hushed tone as I walked toward the chair. A lump was forming in my throat. Instead of pouring my heart out, I stuck with what I was comfortable with.

"So, what brings you here at this hour?" Carlisle looked at me from behind his desk, wearing a sincere smile.

"Well, uuh…" I bit my lip and tried to find something in the room to focus on so I could gather my thoughts. I should have deliberated about this more on the walk to the room. "Well, I just wanted to thank you two for the gift. I'm really excited about it; this truly means a lot to me." I couldn't even begin to explain the feelings I had. "I've never been outside of the Northwest continental US. So, who all's coming?"

"You're very welcome, Jacob. And we're all going; all ten of us. We wanted to take you sooner, but Edward and Bella weren't too keen on taking Ness back after the housekeeper incident. We knew you would have no interest in leaving Renesmee to go to Isle Esme. Finding a trustworthy housekeeper in that region was really difficult, but Bella insisted that the old ones had to be let go before Renesmee would be allowed to go there."

"Wow, that's great. I mean, about all of us going. Thanks for going to such lengths for me." I wanted to say so much more, but I choked. "Wow, it's getting late. I better go tell Nessie goodnight before she falls asleep."

"Have you told her?" Esme inquired.

"No, I'm going to wait until tomorrow. She'll be up all night if I tell her now. I know she will be ecstatic."

Bella's melodic voice filled the playroom as I entered. She was reading Nessie a bedtime story. I waited on the balcony, giving Bella her much deserved quality time with Nessie. I spent so much time with her that sometimes I felt guilty, like I wasn't leaving enough time for everyone else.

The night air was chilly and damp. It was misting lightly overhead, but the moon and a few stars poked out of the clouds in the distance. I stood there for several minutes taking in the fresh wintery air.

"Nice night, eh?" Bella said softly but sarcastically. Even with the mist, it still was a fairly nice night.

"Is she asleep?" I looked over at Bella as I spoke. The gentile wind was blowing her perfect hair around her face.

"No, she's waiting for you." She was looking at the stars in the distance.

"I'll be back." I walked inside and up the stairs.

Nessie was curled into a ball under her covers, her curls piled perfectly on the pillow.

"You were too busy today." Renesmee turned to look at me as I sat in the chair beside the bed. Her little voice sounded disappointed.

"What are you talking about, silly? We walked in the garden for over an hour, you sat with me when I ate dinner, and we played dress up for a long while this morning."

"But…. Well, we usually watch TV for a little while before bedtime." Her pouty face crushed me.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie. I was just really tired this evening." I remembered the gift and was filled with excitement, but I had to remain sullen on the outside. Nessie couldn't know about this until tomorrow. "How about this – tomorrow morning, we will go book shopping like we talked about earlier." Her little face perked up in an instant. If she only knew what tomorrow had in store for her.

"Night, Jake. Love you."

"I love you too, sweetie. Goodnight." I kissed her forehead.

"Take me for ice cream, too?" she added as I was making my way to the stairs.

"Of course." Or cake, or hell we could go to Belgium in search of the worlds finest chocolate if she asked.

Bella stood on the balcony still. I could see her hair blowing in the now stronger breeze. Alice would be up all night anyways, so I took advantage of a rare opportunity – time alone with Bella. I still loved Bella, just not the way I once had. She was my best friend. I felt for her the way she felt for me all along. I remember trying so hard to figure out a way to make myself imprint on her. I would have given anything for her to choose me over Edward. Funny how things work themselves out sometimes.

"Hey, Bells. Shouldn't you be out killing poor defenseless creatures or something?"

"Shouldn't you be howling at the moon?" She smirked and raised an eyebrow. Moisture glistened in her hair.

"That's only when there's a full moon, duuh." There was a long moment of quiet as we both enjoying the refreshing night air.

"How's life?" I asked earnestly. Anyone in the house could see what she did, but it was hard to tell her true feelings. She always seemed completely content – unnaturally and wholly satisfied.

"If I'm being honest… absolutely perfect. I couldn't ask for more from life. I have everything I've ever dreamed of having and more. My daughter is the most amazing creature to ever exist, my husband – well, I know you don't want to hear all about Edward, but he's perfect for me in every way, my family – you included – is a group of the most kindhearted people on earth. I've got it all, Jake. It's unnatural how wonderful everything has turned out. You?" We were both propped against the railing, gazing out at the sky.

"Let me see…. I live in a mansion, I have permission to drive the numerous sports cars lined in the garage – with the exception of one. I have a mother who cooks me the most amazing meals imaginable" Bella looked at me from the corner of her eye and a smile covered her entire face, she was thrilled that I saw Esme the way she did. "Every day I play with the most amazing creature ever to exist. My heart is filled with profound happiness every time I see her face. My adopted family has taken me in – someone they once saw as a smelly beast – and treats me just like I am their own blood. Even Rosalie is starting to come around." I could have continued, but it was late and I still had to go talk to Alice.

"Edward doesn't let you drive the Aston Martin, huh? He doesn't let me either."

"I did once when you were pregnant. Carlisle let me once, too, when you guys were out of town for the weekend. I just drove it around the area. I'm pretty sure it was part of his plan to get me to feel more at home with you guys. It was when we first moved here. I wouldn't do it again though, I spent the entire ride worrying about the possibility of a tree falling on it and what method Edward would use to end my life if that happened." I chuckled.

"Now I'm jealous. I've never gotten to drive it. I've only even ridden in it a few times."

"Are you excited about taking Nessie to the island?"

"I'm excited for Nessie, but I'm very nervous. The housekeeper knew, Jacob. She was scared to death." A look of concern came over her face as she turned her body to face me.

"Bella, that's been taken care of. You know that. There's no need to worry. Please tell me you won't ruin my first international trip by worrying the entire time?"

"Fine. I really am excited about seeing Renesmee on the beach. I wonder how the sea creatures will respond to you two. They won't come anywhere near the rest of us."

"I never noticed any fish fleeing from us when we were cliff diving, but then again I wasn't paying much attention. Have you heard Alice's news?"

"No, what is it??" she asked in a concerned tone.

"Oh, it's nothing bad. Come with me to talk to her, I only caught the beginnings of it."

Bella walked with me at a human pace back to the family room where Alice and Jasper were talking quietly. By the looks on their faces, I could assume it was something gushy.

"Hey guys. What's the news?" Bella asked in a glittering tone.

"Get this! I can – kind of – read Jacob!!"

Bella and I sat down on the sofa across from them. Bella's ladylike mannerisms still stunned me. She was hardly the Bella I'd once known. This Bella wore dresses almost daily and crossed her legs when she sat. Of course, she didn't buy the dresses, but I could tell she was growing fond of her new found femininity.

"Really? How did this happen?" Bella replied curiously, propping her elbow on her knee and her head on her fist.

"Well, like I told Jacob before- I've been picking up bits and pieces of his future for a couple of weeks, but nothing that made sense. I tried to concentrate on the pieces and bring something else forward, but nothing ever happened. Then earlier I just saw it, clear as day. I wasn't even trying very hard. It happened again while I was talking to him earlier. He was talking to Renesmee about going book shopping while he tucked her in. I can't believe it! I feel whole again!" Alice's voice was about two octaves higher than usual the entire time she spoke.

"So what do you think this means?" Bella's voice still curious.

"Well, I don't know. I haven't had a chance to talk to Carlisle about it yet. Maybe it's similar to the way you learned to expand your shield, except it took a lot longer to develop. Or how I eventually started seeing Nessie, though that didn't take nearly as long."

"Have you been doing anything different lately?" Jasper asked, he obviously hadn't put that much thought into it until Bella's curiosity level sparked him.

"Well, I've been thinking about the trip a lot lately, trying to foresee how everything will go… but I kept running into dead ends whenever Jacob was directly involved. I sat in the woods alone for a while, in hopes that being farther away from Jacob would offer some clarity. It was no use. I just kept trying as hard as I could. That's when I started getting little flashes, bits and pieces. Then out of nowhere this evening I got the crystal clear vision of Jacob walking around the house looking for Carlisle and Esme."

"Wow, babe, that's great! I wonder what else any of us could be capable of if we really set our mind to it." Jasper's face was puzzled, his fingers running through his blonde hair. I could tell they were about to break into a conversation that I had no interest in.

"Well Cullen's, it's been grand, but humans need sleep. I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Night, Jay Jay," Edward muttered, smirking as he walked toward the family room.

Jasper's brow furrowed and my expression screamed 'don't even ask.' I shoulder-checked Edward as I passed him when I started walking toward my room. He knew it was coming, and he knew he could take me down with ease in human form, but he just let it happen and kept walking.

**A/N: **

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	6. Anticipation

**A/N: **

**I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. They are property of Stephanie Meyer. **

Chapter 6. – Anticipation

RPOV

I woke up early that morning. As I ran down my staircase headed to Jacob's room, Nan appeared at the bottom.

"Jacob needs to rest, honey. How about we do a little online shopping?" She held my hand as we rushed to her computer. "There's a preview of our favorite designer's spring collection, and you know the best pieces are limited edition and must be ordered well in advance."

I sat in her lap as she clicked around on the computer. She wasn't pulling up any websites, only photos she had saved to a folder titled 'Prep'. Curious.

"Oh I love that one!" I bounced in her lap as I pointed at a white linen halter dress with a shirred bodice and lace trim.

My taste in clothing ranged from traditional and conservative to vibrant and ruffled depending on my mood. Some days I felt more subtle and reserved, others I was very outgoing and full of energy. I guess it was just part of growing at warp speed.

Nan showed me at least fifty different ensembles and had me narrow the collection down to thirty. We also picked out several swimsuits, hats, hair accessories, and shoes. It was almost as fun as shopping in an actual store – which reminded me of the shopping trip Jacob and I were taking later.

"Nan, may I wake Jacob now?"

"I don't think that will be necessary. It sounds like he's in the kitchen." She patted my leg to motion me to get up.

Jacob was standing in front of the open refrigerator, still wearing his pajamas- cotton pants and a snug fitting tank top. He looked half asleep and disheveled, his hair falling into his eyes.

"Good morning, sunshine! Did you sleep well?" Jacob said to me as he noticed us approaching the kitchen. All signs of tiredness disappeared instantly and his face filled with my favorite smile, the one that he saved just for me. Esme patted him on the back..

"Go sit down, hon. I've got it."

"No, I can do it. Really."

"Jacob, that's not necessary." Jacob stopped trying to argue with Nan about matters like this long ago. He came and sat in the stool beside me at the counter.

"Yes, I slept quite well, and you?"

"Pretty well, actually. I had a wonderful dream. Thanks for letting me sleep late. You didn't have to do that." His voice was sweet and low. I wasn't about to tell him that Nan practically forced me to not wake him.

"I'm really excited about our shopping trip! Actually, I've been shopping with Nan all morning on the computer. My spring wardrobe is going to be amazing!"

"I bet! Your Nan has excellent taste." He paused for a moment. "We might be doing more shopping than I originally thought. You don't mind, do you?"

"Did you really have to ask? Of course I don't mind. So where else are we going?"

"I'm not sure yet. I've got to figure it out."

"I hope you don't mind the informal breakfast, Jacob. I figured you'd like to get your day started rather than wait around for me to cook," Nan said as she placed his plate in front of him.

"No, this is totally fine. I lived on Eggos for a little while." He probably wasn't joking.

"Nessie, why don't you go get ready for our shopping trip? Dress comfy; we'll be gone for a while," he said as he shoveled waffles into his mouth.

"Sure, Jake." I kissed his warm cheek before I hopped off the stool beside him.

Dad and Emmett were in the family room, which was outside the entry to my playroom.

"Hey sweetie, how are you this morning?" Dad asked me from across the room. I ran and hopped into his lap. Emmett leaned over and gave me a big squeeze.

"'Mornin' squirt," Emmett said, grinning.

"I'm wonderful, daddy. Jacob and I are going shopping and for ice cream." I gazed into my father's golden eyes as I spoke to him.

"Have you seen him this morning?" His expression seemed expectant.

"Yes, I sat with him while Esme made him breakfast. Why?"

"Oh, just curious. So what are you shopping for? Surely you're not going to drag Jacob through those boutiques." His sarcastic half smile appeared.

"Well, Jacob needs some shoes and a hair cut, and I need some new books. He mentioned going somewhere else as well, but wasn't sure where exactly. It was strange."

"I guess you better go get ready then, huh?" Dad kissed me on the cheek and stood me up.

"Okay. I'll find you before I leave. If you see mommy, will you send her to my room?"

"Yes ma'am. I certainly will."

I stepped into my dressing room and walked around, trying to pick the perfect outfit. Jacob would probably be wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Hopefully he would at least wear jeans a Cullen had purchased for him. My love for Jacob was unconditional, but I loved it when he tried to dress up just a bit. Ratty jeans and shirts with holes are fine for the shop, but going in public requires a bit more.

My mind wanted the ruffly stripes and cupcakes outfit, but I settled for something a bit simpler and ordinary- jeans and a cream colored peasant top with brown ballet flats. I sat down at my vanity table to fix my hair. Mom came in as I was brushing.

"May I?" she asked, holding her hand out for the brush. I handed it to her.

"So, have you seen Jacob this morning?" Why did everyone keep asking me that??

"Yes, why?"

"Just curious. Where are you two going?" Mom started piling my curls into an intentionally-messy-yet-refined up-do, placing two simple clips on the sides to keep the stray hairs out of my face. She always tickled my neck when she finished pulling my hair back. I snickered and giggled.

"I know some, but not everything. I know we're going to a book store, ice cream shop, shoe store, and somewhere to get Jacob's hair cut. Have you seen it? It's out of control."

"There, you're all ready. You have the most perfect hair. It's so soft and silky."

"Thanks. I get it from my mommy. Well, except the color." She smiled at me as we both looked in the mirror at my finished hairstyle.

Jacob was waiting for me downstairs on the sofa in the playroom. Surprise, surprise, he was actually dressed pretty nice. He didn't purchase anything he was wearing. Boot cut jeans, casual brown loafers, a button down striped shirt, and a brown belt to top it all off. His hair was impossible to manage at this point, but he still looked handsome.

"Wow, I feel under-dressed." Jacob looked bashful.

"No, you look perfect. Did Alice tell you what I was going to wear?" I asked.

"No, why?"

"Because we match so well. Didn't you notice? Brown shoes, our jeans are almost the same color, and the cream color of your shirt matches the main color of mine."

"You're right. No, I had no idea what you were wearing. I was expecting something a bit more... casual though."

"Well, are you ready to go? Or do you want to change?" I could tell by the look on his face that he was fond of our coincidentally matching outfits.

"No, I'm ready. Where are we going first? Hair salon?"

"Absolutely. I cannot stand this mop. I can't do anything with it and it keeps falling into my eyes."

It was about 45 minutes to the area of Portland we were headed to. We took dad's silver Volvo. It was one of the least showy cars we owned. Carlisle offered to buy Jacob a car on numerous occasions, but he refused. Dad kept the Volvo, despite the fact that he had purchased a Porsche. I figured he kept it for Jacob. It's what he drove the most, and he was the only one who drove it anymore.

Jacob was a much more cautious driver than any of the others, particularly when I was in the car. I didn't understand the difference, it's not like I could get hurt.

"I have a surprise for you, Ness," Jacob said as we approached crawling traffic. I loved surprises.

"What is it?? Are you taking me to the boutiques?" My voice about two octaves higher than usual. Jacob grinned and glanced over at me as we crawled down the road.

"No, it's something a bit more exciting than some fluffy boutique." He paused, adding to my suspense. "We're going out of town."

"Are we going to Forks??! It's been three weeks. I'm so ready for a trip to Forks! That's awesome, Jake!" We were supposed to go last weekend, but mom and dad were busy.

"No, it's a bit farther than Forks." We locked eyes, traffic at a stand still. My eyes widened even bigger than before. "We're going to......... Isle Esme!!!"

"Oh my gosh, you're kidding?? Are you serious!?" I literally bounced in my seat. I was so jealous every time a couple came back from the island.

"We really are going, Nessie. You, me, the whole family." Excitement filled the air.

"I can't believe it! I was beginning to think children and pets weren't allowed there." It sounded like a joke, but I really felt that way. "Oh, that explains Nan's 'Prep' folder full of Spring and Summer outfits."

"We're leaving in two weeks. I'm not sure how long we'll be gone though." Traffic had started to move again, so Jake had to focus on the road.

"I have a feeling we'll be there for at least a few weeks. Nan ordered me a month's supply of summer clothes." Rose, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper would stay for weeks at a time. Carlisle had work, and mom and dad never liked being away from me for too long, so they usually only stayed for a week or so. "I just can't believe it! I'm so excited!!!"

The hair salon was our first stop, thank goodness. Jacob looked like a new man after the stylist finished. He tried cutting his own hair many times, but it always came out uneven. His hair was just over an inch long on top and styled spiky, which probably wouldn't become a permanent style.

We held hands as we walked through the book store. I picked up several classics that mom recommended. I tried to help Jacob carry the overwhelming stacks of books I picked out, but he wouldn't let me. Instead, he insisted he could handle it. Jacob was adorable when he was being chivalrous. Actually, he was adorable all the time, but particularly so during his moments like this.

We went to the mall instead of individual stores, so we could get all of our shopping done in one place. He had a long list written in what looked like Nan's handwriting. He read over it and jotted some notes down as we ate our ice cream cones. The list consisted of simple things like swim trunks, flip flops, snorkel gear, beach toys for me, and so on.

We walked around the mall and found most of the things we needed, and stopped by the sporting goods store on the way home for the few things we couldn't find. Shopping with Jacob was fun, I was surprised. Of course, he didn't get googly eyed at the thought of boutique shopping, but we joked around as we walked, and I enjoyed his company anywhere.

The weeks leading up to our trip were the longest two weeks of my life, longer than the weeks before my playroom was finished. Every night I went to bed early, just to make the time pass a bit faster. Every morning I woke up later than usual. I spent my days doing my normal activities – playing with my family, going for walks in the garden with Jacob, running around outside, and hunting. My life was filled with love and fun activities. The anticipation was making my existence seem mundane. Knowing that such an amazing trip was just days away made everything else seem boring and routine. Finally, something out of the ordinary happened. Two days before our departure, three large boxes appeared on the front doorstep. It was my vacation wardrobe. All of the girls gathered around me in my dressing room as we opened the packages. It was as if they were all six year old little girls again.

"Would you look at this one?? How adorable!" Rosalie pulled out a ruffly dress; the main fabric was bright pink with white polka dots, with zebra stripe print accents. "Try this one on first!" I had a feeling I'd be in the dressing room for a while.

"Look Nessie, it's the one," Nan said, with emphasis on 'the one.' She held up the one that I fell absolutely in love with on the computer screen. The same designer made it that made my graduation gown. This was similar, but more casual and tea length instead of floor length. It featured five cascading rows of champagne colored organza and tulle ruffles and a simple shirred silk bodice. It was a halter, one of my favorite styles for warm weather.

"Oh my gosh!! Do you see the shoes anywhere?" I paused, looking around the frock covered hardwood floor. "Here they are. Okay." I stood on the pedestal in front of the three way mirror and slipped the dress on. It was perfect.

"Nan, how on earth did you get all of these outfits made in less than two weeks?" My hand waved toward the floor and boxes.

"Well, hon...." Nan's eyes shifted around the room as she searched for the right words. "Money talks. Plus I already had several of the ones I knew you'd love made a little while ago." I twirled around on the pedestal as the gals talked about how gorgeous it was and how stellar the designer was.

I hardly slept the night before we left. Which was fine, I had plenty of time for sleep on the endless flights to South America. I woke up at 4:00 am and couldn't fall back asleep. Dad came up to check on me.

"Hey honey, is everything okay?"

"Daddy, I give up. I'm done trying to sleep. May I please just get up?" The puppy dog face was in full effect. There was so much energy buzzing in my little body that I just couldn't stand lying in bed for another second, but I truly felt exhausted.

"Alright, do you want to come hang out with mom and I on our balcony? It's a beautiful night out."

"Sure." He picked me up and carried me across the house.

When we got to the balcony, he laid me down on a chaise and placed a blanket over me. I didn't get as cold as a normal human, but if it was cold enough I would get a little chilly. Considering it was November, it was a possibility.

Mom scooped me up and cuddled me in her lap on the chaise. She rocked side to side, stroking my hair. Eventually, I relaxed enough to sleep for a little while. When I woke, the sun was starting to rise. It was still earlier than I usually woke, but I felt rested now.

The sunrise was beautiful. I didn't get to see very many, since I was usually sleeping at this hour. Pink and lilac were slowly creeping across the night sky, with streaks of orange shining from the direction where the sun would pop up at any second.

"'Morning, sweetie. I'm glad you got more sleep. You've got a big day ahead of you." She squeezed me closer to her.

"Is there anything I need to do besides get myself ready? Is Jacob awake yet?" Jacob was like my pet, he followed me around everywhere. I loved my parents more than anything in the world, but Jacob was my best friend, my only friend really. Everything was fun when he was around.

"Jacob woke up a few minutes ago, he's showering." I figured he'd still be sleeping. I was his alarm clock most days. "I need to get freshened up; can you get yourself ready this morning?"

"Yeah, that's fine," I said as I yawned and crawled off mom's lap.

"I'll come fix your hair though. I laid the outfit I want you to wear on the chaise in your dressing room. It's cold here, but it'll be about 80 in Brazil and Houston. Oh, and bring your polka dot raincoat."

"Yes ma'am."

The outfit mom picked was right where she said it would be, a light cotton dress with matching leggings. I dressed in a hurry and headed to the kitchen, hoping Jacob would be in his usual seat waiting for breakfast. I was skipping down the hallway until I heard Jacob coming out of his room. I ran and barreled straight into him, knocking both of us to the ground.

"Good morning, my Jacob!! I'm so excited!" I squealed as I planted kisses on both his cheeks.

"I know, I could hardly sleep last night. Are you just about ready to head to the airport?"

"Well, yes. But don't you need to eat breakfast?" I was dragging him by the arm to the kitchen, too impatient for human speed. I tried to seem tolerant, but it was useless. Thankfully, he settled for Eggos again. Esme and the others were occupied with getting all of the luggage to the foyer, and heaven forbid he try to cook for himself. Ever.

He hoofed down his food quickly, but it didn't do us much good. We had to wait for all of the luggage to be brought downstairs and loaded into the cars. For some reason, everyone was moving at human speed, which was unusual considering we were getting ready to go somewhere so spectacular.

We couldn't have picked a better day to be in the public eye, but it was still nice enough to permit flying. I stood on my balcony with Jacob while the luggage was being loaded into what I assumed was a few cars in the garage. I hadn't put much thought into the logistics of commuting eight vampires, a wolf, and a half-breed an hour away, or the remaining sixteen to eighteen hours away. Panic began to set in.

"Oh my gosh Jake, do you have a passport?!" It just donned on me. The words rushed out of my mouth faster than I could process the thought.

"Of course. I'm sure you do, too, hon. Don't worry about a thing. Cullen's never miss a beat." His smooth voice usually comforted my worries away, but it wasn't working.

My thoughts had been so wrapped up in the trip itself that the important things never came to mind. If we were gone for longer than a week or so, we would need to hunt – but where? And for what? Would Grampy remember to bring his medical bag, just in case Jacob gets hurt? How would he get it on the plane? Did someone check the weather in Rio de Janeiro? How on earth will all ten of us and our mountain of luggage get from the mainland to the island? Or even from the house to the airport?

I didn't realize it, but my hands were clenching the banister and I was chewing on my lip.

"What's wrong, Ness? You okay?"

I cleared my throat, hoping it would clear any worrisome tone. "I'm fine." I tried to sound as peppy and excited as possible. It didn't do me any good.

"'Fine' isn't a feeling. Talk to me." Jacob's voice was pleading. How could I not talk to him?

"It's nothing, really. I think it's just sleep deprivation, nerves, and excitement all mixed together." I took a deep breath in and out. "Can we go find Grampy?" I gave up on trying to conceal the affliction in my voice.

"Sure. They've gotta be done loading the car by now," he said calmly, apparently my brief explanation was enough to placate him.

I pondered on his last statement, 'the car'. How much sleep had he gotten? We didn't own a car that would hold ten people - our largest fit five, but it was tight - much less ten plus 25-30 pieces of luggage. The thought brought me back to my intentions of finding Grampy, I wanted to run but Jacob refrained my speed to a human pace.

We were still down the hall making our way to the foyer, when I noticed a man in a suit exiting through the front door, pulling the last piece of luggage behind him. Carlisle turned around to walk away, but I called out to him urgently, my voice sounding more disturbed than intended. He looked at me, his face had gone from smooth and calm to worried in an instant as he heard my voice. His eyes darted to Jacob, whose face was calm and collected.

"Good morning, sweet pea! Is everything alright?" He leaned over and kissed the top of my head.

"Yeah, um... can we talk for a few minutes? I mean, I know you're busy, but I'm just—"

"Of course, can we walk and talk though? We've got a plane to catch, you know. Unless of course, you'd like to stay home for a few more days?" He chuckled after his last sentence. He must have known it wasn't anything urgent, because he was hardly taking me seriously.

I rambled off my numerous questions plus several that I hadn't thought of before as we walked at human pace up to his study. Naturally, Grampy and everyone else had already thought of everything, plus things that even my impromptu questions hadn't covered. Most of his answers were vague, but he verified that he had each of my concerns taken care of. Inside his study, he reached into the filing cabinet and pulled out a stuffed manila envelope.

"Alright, it's time. Meet me in the Foyer." His voice was low, but directed at everyone in the house. "Renesmee, this isn't like you. You never worry so much. Everything will be fine, I promise. Would you like to speak with Alice to confirm?" A smug grin crossed his face and he pulled me in for a hug. "I want to see you smiling, darling." His thumb massaged the furrow in my brow.

I let out a deep sigh and cooperated, leaving all of my worries in his study and planting a big excited grin across my face as we walked down the stairs where everyone else was already waiting, carry-on bags in hand.

Grampy distributed the contents of the envelope – passports, identification, plane tickets, and other documents.

"Alright, do we have everything?" Grampy said as he let out a deep breath. Before anyone could speak, he said "Okay, lets go."

We walked out the front door; I stood in the back of the line as my family filed down the pale brick stairs outside the front door. After leaning around mom, who was standing in front of me still inside the house, I finally saw the two SUV limousines. A gentleman was holding the door open to the one just past the shrubs, the closest one was full of our luggage. The previous gentleman was struggling to fit in the last piece of luggage, using all of his strength to lift what was likely Rosalie's entire vanity cabinet. It looked like a reverse order red carpet event - we were all filing to the luxury vehicles instead of out of them.

Everyone looked like movie stars; some going to a movie premier, others just out on the town for the day. Mom was wearing a pale blue cashmere sweater dress with leggings, which went well with dad's pale blue knit sweater and dark jeans. Jacob wore comfortable jeans and a well fitting t-shirt. He was becoming accustomed to dressing like a Cullen.

A t-shirt and jeans was a t-shirt and jeans to him, and if the label was 7 For all Mankind or Target brand, it didn't matter to him. So if designer was on top of the stack in his closet, designer is what he wore. Esme had started buying him nice shoes, since all he would ever wear was ratty sneakers – or new sneakers if he was feeling spendy. Maybe he was beginning to spark an interest in dressing nice.

He looked well put together today. Jacob would look handsome in anything, but today especially. His t-shirt was a worn burgundy color, snug around his biceps and chest. His denim jeans were soft and hung just right, not too loose and not too tight. His shoes were brown leather slip ons, nothing too fancy, Doc Martins or Steve Maddens maybe. He looked like a model straight off the Saks website.

"If you don't stop looking at my clothes, I'm going to go change," Jacob said as he glanced out of the corner of his eyes at me and flashed a sarcastic smile. "Do I really look that ridiculous?" I reached up for him to carry me and touched his cheek as I situated myself.

"So you like it? Really?" he responded to what I had shown him- an image of how his attire fit in perfectly with the rest of us.

"Your clothing doesn't matter to me. But yes, I do like it when you dress up a bit. It amplifies your natural handsomeness." I never wanted to tell him that, but I couldn't bring myself to lie to him. He could probably see it on my face if I had anyhow. I wanted him to be completely himself, not changing anything for me. Now, of course, he would wear designer clothes more often. He flashed the grin he saved just for me, eyes sparkling though the sun was buried deep in the clouds. I felt the need to show him another image, one of him in his shop wearing a worn out tee and jeans with holes in the knees. "I like everything you wear."

The inside of the stretch Escalade limo was comfortable, plenty of leg room for all ten of us and then some. Jacob was kind enough to take a long shower this morning, apparently, because no one was holding their breath. He smelled nice to me all the time. Rosalie was the only one who would still make remarks about his smell – though they were less common since I'd politely asked she stop – and occasionally Emmett joke around about it.

The windows were rolled down and the sunroof was open, so that helped the ventilation. Jacob and I sat in the very back, just below the sunroof and beside two open windows. This was most likely the plan all along, but no one said anything to direct us to these seats.

When we arrived at the airport, we split up into groups of two and three. Dad came with Jacob and I while Mom walked with Alice and Jasper. Everyone else was in pairs. We let the distance span between us, so as to not draw attention. We stopped at a stand to buy sweets for the long flights ahead of us. Sugar didn't have the effect on me that it did other children. Nothing absorbed in my bloodstream, I just liked the taste of it. The only taste I liked aside from blood was that of sugary goodies.

We were the last ones to board the plane. I was so thrilled to see that we would all get to sit together. All along I figured we would continue the charade of staying split up, and part of me even wondered if we would all be on the same flight.

The stewardesses were very kind to me. They kept saying "You are just the cutest thing" and similar complements. I hated that they spoke to me like I was a child, their voices an octave or two higher than when they spoke to my family, but they didn't know any better. It was all I could do to talk back to them using childlike cadences and grammar. It was extremely rare for me to come in contact with people who didn't know what I was, so I was a bit out of practice with putting on a childlike show.

One of them noticed I was getting fidgety and offered to take me on a personal tour of the plane. When we concluded the tour, she suggested that maybe one day I could be a pilot. I refrained from giggling as I thought briefly about asking Carlisle for flight lessons. Maybe in a few years.

I slept for a long portion of the trip, cuddled up in various laps. I hadn't developed the patience that the other Cullen's had. They could sit for days without moving. I, on the other hand, still had a lot of childlike tendencies when it came to things like this. I was passed around from person to person in attempt to keep me entertained. Nan explained the story of how Grampy had given her the island. Grampy went over some of the logistics of how all of us and our luggage would get to the island – he had rented a rather large yacht. Alice told me about a few things that will happen while we're there. I couldn't wait to see all of the birds she mentioned.

Rosalie and Emmett gave me the 'G' rated version of their first time going to the island. Jasper talked about how amazing it was that Alice could read Jacob now, and his ideas of what we could all be capable of if we just tried hard enough. Mom and dad recapped their first trip to the island, the 'G' rated version. Mom told me the story of her pregnancy again. She always left out pieces that others had already told me – like how I broke bones and how no one was really sure what would happen or what I would be. When it was Jacob's turn I asked him to tell me some of the old Quileute legends again.

The trip was incredibly long, much longer than I had expected. Between all of the sleeping and endless conversations, it was a blur. Two limos awaited us at the airport in Rio. It took a little while to get our luggage loaded into the second limo. Those minutes were the longest of the entire trip.

**A/N: **

**Let me know what you think! **

**If it's not obvious by now, I love to dress my own daughter in custom boutique clothing. It's adorable. The champagne colored dress mentioned above as "the one" was inspired by an actual dress made by one of my absolute favorite designers. You can find out more about her by google searching 'like flowers and butterflies' (since posting a link is such a pain lol)****. The graduation dress in Chapter 4 was also inspired by one of her original pieces. Katarina is truly one of the most talented custom designers out there. If you've got a little girl in your life, whether it's a daughter, niece, or cousin, check the etsy shop out! She's got everything from hair accessories to couture gowns. **

**You can find pics of the outfits mentioned in the photo album for this chapter: picasaweb dot google dot com/fairytalesfanfic930/Chapter6 **


	7. Isle Esme

**A/N: **

**Here's another one for ya! Again, Twilight isn't mine. I still don't have a beta, still looking. This one is pretty long, about twice as long as the last few chapters. In retrospect, I should have broken it into two separate chapters, but it's already written and I really like it the way it is. Hopefully you do too! When this section is submitted to Twilighted, it will be two different chapters. **

Chapter 7. – Isle Esme  
RPOV

It was nighttime when we landed, but sleep was nowhere in my plans. There were so many new experiences to be had for Jacob and I. The beaches in Oregon and Washington couldn't hold a candle to all of the pictures Nan showed me of the island. The ride from the airport to the pier was fairly short. I gripped onto the window of the limo, looking for the ocean, smelling the air which carried the scent of foreign foods and salty ocean water.

Then I saw it. The magnificent yacht stood taller than the huts around it at the pier. Three casually dressed men sat in plastic chairs by the end of the dock. They quickly rose and adjusted their clothes and hats when they noticed the limos approaching, one tossing a cigarette into the sparkling ocean water.

After we crawled out of the limo, Carlisle walked down to the end of the dock. Then the three men followed him back to the second limo filled with our luggage. We waited patiently while everything was walked down to the yacht. The dock was a simple floating sidewalk that led down to the boat, beach on either side. There was only room for one boat at the end.

"Jacob," I whispered, trying not to bring attention to myself. He looked down at me and I nudged my head toward the small beach area to our right.

"Right now?" His voice implied that I was crazy and his face was unenthusiastic. The sparkles the moon left on the water reflected in his deep brown eyes.

"Just for a second. We brought flip flops in our carry-on bags, remember?" The puppy dog face was in full effect. Not that I needed it. Before Jacob could respond, dad interjected.

"Ness, honey. We'll be on the island soon. You can stay up as late as you like. Stay dry until we get there, please? I'd really hate to get sand and wet shoes all over the yacht the moment we set foot for the first time." I couldn't say no to him just like Jacob couldn't say no to me, but it was different. With Jacob, it was like he was put on this earth to grant my every wish. With dad, it was like his voice was entrancing and impossible to refuse, similar to how Jacob had once described the Alpha voice.

"Fine," I said politely, though disappointment lingered in my tone unintentionally.

"You ready for your first boat ride?" Dad said as he looked down at me. I was sitting on the cracked pavement with Jacob, trying not to look impatient. Just then, Grampy came walking down the dock.

"Alright, let's get moving!" he yelled, excitement in his voice and all over his face. The volume of his voice was for show, he could have whispered and we would have heard him. The three men were still lingering around the end of the dock.

The water below the dock was incredible. Even in the moonlight I could see straight through to the bottom. It must have been 30' deep towards the end, but it was still crystal clear. My impeccable vision had come in handy in the past, but this trip might top everything I'd ever seen. I could only imagine what diving would be like. I hesitated before climbing the stairs onto the yacht, not wanting to take my eyes off the water.

"Honey, I promise. Soon. You'll be sick of the water by the time we leave." Dad turned around from in front of me and picked me up, carrying me onto the yacht. I looked over his shoulder to Jacob who appeared to be holding back a chuckle.

Once onboard, Jacob and I lingered around the outside areas of the vessel while everyone else went inside to check things out. I'm sure it was amazing, but I'd seen amazing interiors before. I'd never seen something as amazing as the ocean off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

The sky was as clear as the water below. The farther we got from the shore, the more stars appeared in the sky. The air was warm, sticky almost. I worried what my hair would look like after all of this wind and ocean air blowing through it, but quickly remembered that I only planned on staying dry long enough to get my swimsuit on.

Jacob and I settled onto a small sofa on the highest deck of the ship. It was then that I started to realize how incredible the ship was. Around me I noticed a small boat and two jet skis up on a platform, a hot tub, a bar – not that anyone in our party would be using it, and the furniture and décor was stunning.

We sat in silence for the majority of the ride. Both of us were in denial that regardless of how much sleep we got on the plane, we were tired. Excitement was buzzing through my body, though, keeping me wide awake. I probably couldn't sleep if I tried.

"You guys awake? We're almost there." Mom was sitting in the chair across from me almost as soon as I heard her voice. "Do you want to see it?"

"The island?!" The pitch of my voice could have caused injury to a human's eardrum. She took me by the hand, gestured for Jacob to follow, and walked me to the front of the monstrous deck we had been sitting on for the last twenty minutes.

"You see those lights straight ahead?"

I nodded.

"That's Isle Esme. We'll be there in five or ten minutes."

Jacob and I stared off into the distance and watched as we got closer and closer.

Mom kissed me on the head and walked back down to where dad was. I could hear him talking with Carlisle about the order in which we would all be ferried from the yacht to the island. Apparently the dock on the island was in too shallow waters for the yacht. It wasn't built with a massive yacht full of Cullen's in mind; it was built to suit a small yacht at best. I was thrilled when I heard the final arrangements.

"We're getting off first!" I squealed in delight and clapped my hands together several times. "They're holding off on bringing the luggage ashore until everyone is on land. That little boat over there has room for five plus our carry-on bags." I nudged my head toward the boat that stood on a platform behind us. "Carlisle will drive me, you, mom, and Esme ashore. Dad knows we're headed straight to the first beach I lay my eyes on."

"You are one amazing creature, Renesmee." He smiled my favorite one, the smile that came with a warm glow and covered his entire face. His eyes were that of a Saint when he smiled that smile. So deep and loving.

He looked lost in thought for a long moment then suddenly we were accompanied by Emmett and dad who were working on getting the small boat off its platform and into the water below. I heard the anchor drop. We had arrived.

Before we even pulled into the dock slip, Esme leaped off the small craft and onto the walkway of the dock. Without hesitation, I followed. My legs were short but I could clear 10' easy. Jacob glowered at me, not happy with my sudden decision. As invincible as I was, he still worried. I gave him his favorite smile and his face melted into a half grin, then it met his eyes. I was forgiven.

The seconds ticked by slowly as I waited impatiently for Carlisle to pull the boat in. Being this far away from my Jacob seemed almost painful. I had spent that entire morning, the flights, both limo rides, and the half hour on the yacht within inches of him. He seemed so far away from me. My heart pulled me closer to the slip that Carlisle was driving the boat into.

The pull was magnetic. Jacob's face displayed a similar agony. It was like I was a two year old who just realized she left her most precious play thing on that little boat, except the play thing was the most precious play thing any child in the world had ever owned.

I didn't understand what was happening, all I could think was that I needed Jacob by my side. Without him, my heart felt empty. Dead. My hand reached out for his involuntarily as he stepped onto the dock, and the vice that was squeezing my heart immediately eased as soon as I felt his warm, soft skin in my little hand. The agony that had covered both our faces before was now gone.

I couldn't return to my prior state of glee, though, even with Jacob at my side. I had never felt anything like that before. It was the strangest thing. Something about Jacob's anguish and concern combined with the distance between us caused a strange, new emotion, foreign to me. I had never longed for Jacob like that. I went all the way to China for Pete's sake and never felt that way.

I was so confused and everyone around me could clearly see it, but no one ever asked if I was okay or showed any sign of alarm. I hated always feeling like the odd one out. Between dad reading minds, Alice seeing my future - and now Jacob's, and the two of them sharing their wealth of knowledge with everyone except those involved, it was maddening.

As we took our first step toward the end of the dock I released his hand only long enough to reach up for him to carry me. He put me on his back so I could see what was ahead of us. I reached down and touched his cheek, showing him as best I could what I felt previously, then showing him that I wanted to talk.

"Later," he whispered as he nodded once then kissed my hand.

My heart had slowed from its prior panic, but was still beating rapidly. I needed to get my wits together before the others came ashore. I filled my mind with all of the thoughts that had been running through it all day and for the last two weeks, trying to rouse the excitement that had absorbed me before.

"Race me to the beach?" Jacobs's voice was thick with forced enthusiasm, but I couldn't resist.

I leaped off his shoulders gently, so as to not hurt him, and went running at full throttle to the beach straight ahead. He won, of course, but barely. I was getting faster. If only my little legs would just grow already. As he turned toward me to gloat, I pounced on him, knocking him into the sand. I felt somewhat apologetic, we were both still wearing our clothes and shoes. At least sand couldn't leave grass stains on his $150 jeans.

Mom and Nan were laughing at the end of the dock. I turned to take a prideful bow, still standing on Jacob's torso. My mood had naturally turned back to cheerful and excited, but I was still curious about what had happened just seconds ago. Mom looked like she was going to join us on the beach, but quickly gauged the look on Jacob's face.

"I'll be out in a little while. I'm going to get settled and changed," She spoke in her soothing, chiming voice. She blew us kisses and flashed a warm smile before dashing off to the house that I still had not even made an effort to notice.

"Can we go for a walk?" I asked her, trying to sound excited.

"Sure, just be safe and stay on the beach." She sounded slightly disappointed.

I felt so guilty for all of the firsts I was about to experience without my mother witnessing. I hated the thought of hurting her just to satisfy my need to know what just happened. It was decided – I wouldn't look at anything that I hadn't seen in front of her before. We could walk, but I would focus intently on Jacob and try as hard as I could not to notice anything else, not even the ocean around me which might come alive with flipping dolphins or something else I'd never seen before.

I slipped my shoes off and left them in the sand beside the dock, tossing my carry on beside them. Jacob picked me up and ran for a few minutes, hoping we could get far enough from the house that no one could hear us. I doubted we were far enough for dad not to hear, but he probably already knew everything plus the answers to all of my questions.

I didn't look around when we finally stopped. I sat down facing the horizon but focused on the moon and stars above until Jacob situated himself in front of me. I wouldn't take my eyes off his until we got back to the house.

"Did you feel it?" I said as I touched his cheek, showing him the image of the distance between us previously, pain emanating throughout the memory. "It was painful. I felt like I left half of me on the boat, literally. Like I had been ripped in half. The pain wasn't the same, but it was as if the force of the world was pulling me back to the other half of myself. My heart was clenching in my chest and it felt hard to breathe."

He nodded slightly as I spoke; it was clear on his face that he knew exactly the way I felt.

"I wanted to leap back into the boat, but the only movement I could manage was the involuntary staggered steps I took back toward you and my hand reaching for you. Then—" I paused to slow my breathing. "As soon as your fingers touched mine, I felt the negative energy melt away. The only thing I felt was relief. Well, that, and confusion…" My eyes never left his the entire time I spoke.

After a long pause, his soothing voice began "Yes, I felt it. I feel it every time you are out of my sight, sometimes even when you're only out of arms reach." His voice held the same tone of painful longing that mine had. He inhaled like he was about to say more, but he hesitated.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice almost a whisper, inquiring as to what happened, not what he was going to say.

His eyes left mine for a moment. "It's just the way things are, Nessie. I don't know how else to explain it to you. Our relationship is very different from everyone else. I love your – our – family, each person in a unique way. But with you, it's very different. I love you in a way that no one has ever loved anyone else. It's like I was born to…. to watch over you. To be here for you. It's like I was created just for you…" His face turned from serious to a warm smile. "I'm like the most loving, protective big brother ever created. But even 'brother' doesn't quite fit the description just right." He smiled my smile as the moon danced in his eyes.

"So, you're like my best friend slash brother slash guardian slash pet, right?" A light laugh escaped me.

His explanation had eased my mind and I was ready for the mood to be lightened. Our eyes were still locked on each other, him glancing at his surroundings occasionally.

"Something like that. Tomorrow I'll explain how to control what happened to you. You can't stop it from happening, but with time and effort you can make it less obvious that you're dying on the inside." And he was on his feet. "Lets go get our swimsuits on. And if you don't mind I'd like to not evade your – our – family anymore tonight, is that alright with you?"

He had me at swimsuits. The excitement was creeping its way back into my mind… my mind which had been set at ease by this wonderful blessing of a person.

"Whatever you say, my Jacob," I whispered as I leaned in for a hug.

His eyes melted as he embraced me then lifted me onto his back and started running in the direction we came from. I didn't fail to notice that he used Pop Charlie's sly head-in-the-hair move, but I didn't say anything. He worked hard to conceal his sensitivity around the others and even thinking about it was a risk. Speaking it aloud would be as bad as etching it in granite.

Mom was standing at the dock when we approached, holding the belongings we abandoned.

"Alice said I could find you guys here." Her voice was collected and easy, no signs of disappointment.

"What else did Alice tell you?" Jacob's voice was friendly but hinted at accusation.

Mom closed the gap between us, helping me off Jacob's back as if I couldn't jump and land on my feet. "Honestly, she only told me that I could find you here and that Renesmee had completely avoided looking at anything but you so I wouldn't be disappointed by not being with her for every first she would have on the island. Where were you guys? I couldn't even hear you."

We started walking at human pace toward the house. I couldn't make it out yet, but I saw numerous huge illuminated windows not far from us.

"We were straight down that way—" Jacob pointed to where we had come, as if she hadn't seen us coming from that way. "Alice didn't draw you a map?" They shared a laugh.

"Jacob, can we just hang out inside tonight? I really think I'd rather see everything for the first time when it's daylight."

I continued to try not to absorb anything I saw as we approached the house which was somewhat difficult to make out in the dark. It was massive, of course, I could see that much. I was trying not to notice anything else, though. I couldn't appreciate the true beauty of this place without being able to clearly see the colors.

"Of course. I'm pretty beat anyways. Not everyone got to sleep most of the way." A sarcastic smirk crossed his face as he glanced down at me, a dwarf standing beside a giant.

"I'm actually pretty tired, too." It was half true. The only reason I wanted to sleep was so that the time between now and daylight would be shorter; that, and I could get up earlier tomorrow.

I closed my eyes and reached for Jacob to pick me up. As soon as I dropped my hand from his to reach, he leaned over and took me into his arms. I kept my eyes closed, my head buried into the crook of his neck until we were inside the house. I decided it would be okay to take in the inside of the house since it was well lit and I was certain it wouldn't be much different than our homes in Forks and Portland.

I wasn't far off the mark. The architecture of the house was a lot different, but the furniture and décor was very similar to what I was used to. Things had more of an island feel, the colors probably played off the outdoors that I had refused to let myself see. Everything had its usual light, open feel, but it was accompanied by streaks of vibrant colors throughout.

Windows were everywhere, even more than our houses. The ceilings were high, beams exposed in the foyer that reached up to the second story. The furniture was the same color of the sand outside. The primary colors were pale shades of white and tan along with light and dark shades of green. Orange and blue popped out here and there in the artwork and accent pillows in the living room. The house was huge, but lacked the formalities that had been included in the two homes I had lived in. There was no formal dining room, only a small breakfast table and a counter with stools like we had at home.

I walked around the downstairs, finding my family members in various rooms as I learned the lay of my new home away from home. There was only one bathroom downstairs. The door to the master bedroom was closed; I'd have to wait until tomorrow to check it out.

I took Jacob's hand as I ran up the stairs, curious. There were three well decorated bedrooms with luggage sprawled out; each had its own bathroom. There was one communal bathroom. At the end of the hall was another staircase. After poking my head into all of the rooms I passed I ran to the steps and up them. Mom and dad were right behind me and Jacob. At the top of the stairs was a small, dark atrium and a door. I heard a click from behind me and the atrium was lit up, so was what was outside the door.

It was incredible. A large portion of the vast rooftop was a balcony. Two couches and two chairs sat grouped together in the corner while several lounge chairs were lined in a row near the banister. Another grouping of furniture was positioned around a large fire pit in the center. Plants were everywhere, some small some taller than I.

From here, you could see in every direction. The house was positioned on the southwestern corner of the island and it faced west. I turned in a full circle and could see everything. The section of the roof that wasn't part of the balcony didn't obstruct the view at all; we were at the highest point of the house. The moon danced on the water in every direction I looked. Mom and dad watched Jacob and I as we awed at our amazing surroundings.

As I yawned, it hit me- "Umm… there are only four bedrooms, how's that going to work?" My brows furrowed at the thought of Jacob being asked to sleep on the sofa. He would do it, no doubt, but I would hate for him to have to do that.

"You and Jacob get two of the upstairs bedrooms, Carlisle and Esme get the master bedroom downstairs, and the rest of us will be rotating between the remaining upstairs bedroom and the yacht which has plenty of space. Besides, it's not like we sleep. We just need a place to keep our belongings." Dad's eyes shifted to mom and they shared a very brief grin. Something unspoken lingered in the air that I wasn't intended to know.

"Ugh… gimmie a break," Jacob muttered under his breath. "Alright, Nessie, lets go find our rooms," He mumbled as he yawned.

"Your luggage has been put in your rooms already, so just look for that," Dad called to us as we departed. "I'll be down in a few to tuck you in."

After mom, dad, and Jacob had tucked me in and said goodnight, I reflected on the day that had just passed. It had to be nearly sunrise. I couldn't believe that all of these events occurred in just one day… Rushing to Jacob in the morning, my petty concerns, the limo ride, the endless flights, the second limo ride, the yacht, the emotions that overtook me, sitting on the beach, touring the house, all in one day. I was asleep in minutes.

It wasn't long before the sun crept into my room. The drapes had been drawn, but light still peeked through around the edges, waking me. I hadn't gotten much sleep, but I slept a lot on the plane rides so I really wasn't that tired to begin with. I sat up in the bed, looking around my room. Mom was sitting beside me in the bed in an instant.

"There's no stopping you, is there?" she whispered as she brushed my hair out of my face.

I shook my head. "I got plenty of sleep yesterday on the way. I feel terrific." My peppy voice exemplified this fact.

"Well, Jake is still sleeping. Unlike you, he didn't sleep most of the trip. Let him sleep a while longer, okay?" As much as I wanted to wake him and go immediately outside, I knew she was right.

I resigned. "Fine, but can we wait for him inside? Maybe we can play a game or something." I tried to keep my voice as ecstatic as it had been before, but the truth shone through.

"Sure, any ideas?" She bounced off the bed and to the dresser. My luggage had been unpacked while I slept.

"The cream linen one, please," I asked, requesting the gauzy dress Nan had made for me. "What's everyone else doing right now?"

"Well, daddy is up on the balcony watching Emmett and Jasper see who can jump the farthest off the top of the yacht. Rosalie and Alice are on the balcony, too, but not really paying much mind to the guys. Grampy is in the kitchen with Nan, she's making Jacob's breakfast…" My head perked up, he'd have to get up soon if she were already cooking his breakfast. "Some kind of casserole that has to bake for a while," she concluded.

"Hmm… how about we say good morning to Nan and Grampy then hang out on the balcony for a while? I can already smell the bacon in whatever she's cooking. How does she manage to cook that stuff? It smells like two week old road kill."

Mom laughed and nodded in agreement. "I don't know. I have a hard time believing I used to eat it. Here, get dressed and we'll start this beautiful day." Mom tossed me the dress I requested. It was so comfortable and I loved the way the skirt flowed and twirled around my knees.

**Chapter 7 Part 2 – Isle Esme JPOV **

**JPOV **

I was awakened by the gravitational pull of my heart for the thousandth morning in a row. I don't know how the others handled it. Maybe it was because Renesmee was close to me every single day. Maybe the bond between us was somehow stronger than the others.

Every morning when she woke I could feel where she was going. It wasn't usually painful as she almost always headed straight for my room. On rare occasion, Esme or Bella would insist that she let me sleep late. It was useless. My feet hit the floor long before they had desired to. We didn't go to sleep until nearly 5:00, and it was only 8:00 in the morning. It could have been my imagination, but it seemed like Nessie was requiring less and less sleep the older she got.

I showered quickly and reflected on yesterday's events— particularly the part where Nessie experienced an episode similar to what I experience regularly. I'd grown comfortable with our daily routine. I could handle the distance between us when we were in our rooms sleeping, or when I was in my shop while she was in the house. Those moments were manageable.

The only time I was truly uncomfortable was when I was in an unfamiliar situation. When she'd go to the boutiques with Esme or Bella, I didn't worry much but I still felt like my heart had been ripped out and taken with her every time she walked out the door. Her trip to China was potentially fatal, or so it seemed.

When she leaped off the boat, my mind raced through all of the predators in the jungle of the island, everything in the water that could possibly harm her. She seemed to be indestructible, and she could take down a mountain lion almost as well as Edward, but the thought of even the slightest chance of something happening to my angel – my reason for living – made it difficult to breathe.

When she asked me about the way things were, I was prepared. Alice told me it would happen soon, and I did my best to plan what I would say when she asked. I was still shocked when it finally happened. No amount of planning could truly prepare me for that moment. My words were staggered. I couldn't believe that she shared the magnetism that I had felt since the beginning, the magnetism that had only intensified as time passed.

I threw on the first t-shirt and pair of jeans I saw in my still unpacked luggage. Everything in my luggage looked like something a Cullen had purchased for me, and one of them was probably the reason behind this. When I stepped out of my bedroom I could smell eggs and bacon coming from downstairs. I had to be polite and follow the scent, though my heart was pulling me in the opposite direction, up the flight of stairs at the end of the hall.

Esme flew into the kitchen, coming from the master bedroom, as I entered.

"You're up early." Her voice was grim with concern. "Why don't you get a few more hours sleep? Renesmee is set on waiting for you to get up before leaving the house. You won't miss a thing." Her proposition was appealing, but nearly impossible. Plus, I was pretty excited to spend my first full day on the island.

"I'm fine. I'll just take a nap later when Nessie does." Which would hopefully be sooner rather than later.

"I wasn't expecting you to be up for at least a few hours. Your breakfast has to bake for thirty more minutes. Would you like a bowl of cereal in the meantime?" Esme's voice was apologetic.

"It's okay, really. Whatever you are cooking smells delicious. I'll save my appetite for it." I hopped off the stool I sat in. I was getting spoiled – my breakfast was usually ready just minutes after I entered the kitchen. "I'll be back down in a bit. I'm going to find Nessie and the others."

Esme stopped her speed-cleaning long enough to reply, "Okay hon, I'll call you when it's ready, 'kay?"

"Yes ma'am," I said enthusiastically as I headed for the staircase, the longing in my chest easing slightly with every step closer to Nessie.

The sun was beaming through the house in every direction, flooding the staircase that led to the atrium. Walking quietly was something I'd gotten good at; it came with part of being a wolf. I focused on every step in hopes of surprising Nessie when I walked outside. I held my breath, but I couldn't stop my heart from beating. Traitor.

I walked out the atrium door and my eyes immediately landed exactly where my heart had led me – to Renesmee. She hopped off her seat on the sofa and barreled into me, knocking me to the ground with a loud thud.

"My Jacob!" she squealed in delight. "You're awake! I was going to wait for you to get up. Aren't you tired? You should get some more sleep, your eyes look tired." Her words were rushed as she leaped off me and tried to help me stand back up.

I could have slept, but I knew she wanted to get her vacation started and she wasn't leaving without me. Letting her down was something I never wanted to do, something I worked hard to avoid unless absolutely necessary.

"No, honey. I'll be fine. Really. I'm excited about everything we're doing today." A yawn escaped me, yet another traitor. "Wow, would you look at this view." That's the best thing I could think of to take the attention off my sleep deprivation.

"Isn't it amazing?!" Nessie squealed. I lifted her into my arms and my life felt complete. "You just missed it. A few dolphins were hopping around in the water over there." She pointed her tiny hand toward the horizon.

"There'll be more dolphins. So what do you wanna do first?"

Her excitement was written all over every inch of her. It was like electricity buzzing through every cell of her being. "Well, mom told me about a cliff we were sitting near last night. It's pretty high, a little higher than the one in La Push." She bounced as she spoke.

"Alright, as soon as I finish breakfast we'll go." I looked to Bella, "Would it be horrible if I wore trunks and a t-shirt to breakfast? I just don't want to waste a single second."

"No, Esme will understand."

I dressed in a rush and sat patiently with Nessie on the stool I occupied earlier, making small talk with Esme while we waited. I scoffed breakfast down as quickly as I could. It was delicious, of course. Something Esme had never made for me. After I politely refused seconds, Esme took the empty plate from in front of me and sat a backpack in its place. I opened it and took an inventory- two bottles of water, a protein bar, an underwater camera, and snorkel gear.

"Human stuff," Esme stated and smiled.

"No towel?" I asked sarcastically.

She cocked her head to Bella, who was standing with Edward by the back door holding a large basket weave bag with towels protruding from the top.

"Go have fun." She smiled at Nessie and I warmly.

We walked at a human pace to the cliff so we could fully appreciate the magnificence of the scenery. It didn't hold a candle to Nessie's beauty, or Bella's, but it was breathtaking to say the least. Nessie and I walked ahead of Bella and Edward, most of the wildlife shied away from them. The foreign creatures didn't seem to be bothered by the two of us, but I didn't think they would be.

Several exotic birds flew by as we walked along the beach. We got to see dolphins dancing along the water. The walk was much longer when traveling at human pace, but it was also much more enjoyable. I had a feeling we'd be on the island for a while, so rushing wasn't necessary.

Nessie and I were amazed by the creatures that passed us along the way - crabs, sea turtles, numerous colorful birds. Nessie had pointed out several things, like a poison dart frog, a toucan perched high in the trees, and a group of howler monkeys lounging even higher. It was like going to the zoo, except without the long lines, caged animals, and cotton candy. This place seemed almost enchanted. I couldn't believe my surroundings.

After walking for nearly half an hour, we finally reached the cliff that only took a few minutes to reach last night. Nessie was right, it was higher than La Push. The trail we had followed led us straight to the top of the goliath cliff.

I looked down at the ocean crashing into the rocky wall. "Is it deep enough?" I asked Bella. They might be invincible, but I wasn't.

"Of course it is, would you like me to demonstrate?" Bella responded sardonically. I hadn't seen Bella jump off a cliff since the old days.

"You wouldn't.... chicken," I mocked back at her.

"Hmmph." Was all she could muster, along with a squint of her eyes and a sarcastic smile.

She stripped down to her lacy blue bikini that looked more like bedroom attire and quickly tossed her clothes into her bag. She backed up several paces, got a running start, and leaped through the air with inconceivable grace. She flew like a bird, barely making a sound when she dove into the water. I stepped over the edge to verify that she hadn't crashed into anything below. It wouldn't hurt her, but it could possibly hurt me if I landed wrong on a rock or something.

She went down very deep before returning to the surface. The water was so crystal clear I could see her every movement. Her head popped up above the surface, "Believe me now?" she asked.

"I guess. Now let me show you how it's supposed to be done."

I wasn't sure why Bella was being so smug this morning, but two could play that game. I took my t-shirt and shoes off, shoved them into my backpack, and repeated her movements with the exception of one. Instead of leaping gracefully through the air and diving when I hit the surface, I wrapped my arms around my legs and went in for a cannonball.

The fact that the impact of the waters surface would sting like a slap in the face didn't change my decision. I hadn't been cliff diving in an eternity, I missed the exhilaration. I sank deep into the pristine blue water, opening my eyes in hopes of seeing a new foreign creature, but apparently Bella had scared them all away. She was still swimming around, looking up to the top of the cliff.

Nessie and Edward were still up there.

"You go ahead, hon," Edward said to her. "Its fine, I promise. There's nothing down there that will hurt you, not even a shark. Would any of us let anything happen to you?" His smooth voice was calming her; he stroked her hair to add to the effect. "Besides, you could handle a shark any day."

She still looked hesitant. She asked me yesterday if she knew how to swim and I explained that she seemed to do fine when we went cliff diving before. Maybe she was worried that she had forgotten how since it'd been so long? I can't imagine how such a thing could be forgotten, though – especially not by a Cullen.

I smiled her favorite one as I waited for her in the water below alongside Bella. She smiled my favorite smile back – the smile of an angel that could light the night sky and melt the heart of anyone who witnessed. The way the sun reflected behind her made her bronze hair a luminous golden color. The wind blew gently from behind her, ruffling her curls as she looked down the edge at her mother and I.

The sun here was brighter than even the brightest day in Forks or Portland. I had never seen her in such radiant light. Her pale skin was usually a faint glow in the sunlight, something that could pass for normal to the human eye. She didn't sparkle the way the others did, but there was a noticeable difference if you compared the way she looked under cloud cover versus a sunny Portland day. In the tropical sun, her fair skin appeared as though the light were coming from within her, as opposed to the way it reflected off the other Cullen's like a sparkling diamond. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, amazingly beautiful. It suited her well, she had been the light of my life since the moment she was born, now her skin is matching the part… beaming like a ray of sun.

As much as I was absorbed by her beauty on the cliff, I still needed her by my side.

"Come on, Nessie! The water feels great!" I called out to her.

Finally, she kicked her shoes off and tossed Edward her frilly linen dress. She had her swimsuit on beneath it, an ivory crochet tankini with pale pink lining throughout. I could always tell her demeanor by the way she dressed. Today was obviously a dainty, femme kind of day.

"All right, watch out!" she shouted as she quickly backed up several paces, preparing to launch.

She soared through the air for a moment, flipping and twirling in a blur looking as graceful as a bird, but when she was within 10' of the water, she tucked her legs under and did a cannonball like I had. The splash of her impact was about as big as a marble would have produced.

Edward leaped in a few moments later, performing blurred acrobatics mid-air. Very Edward. We took turns jumping into the water from the cliff. Edward and Bella decided to jump from the treetops on a few occasions. Nessie displayed interest, but I protested. Invincible or not, I couldn't tolerate such risks. If anything happened to her, I can't imagine what would happen to me. It was beyond me how I even came to deserve everything life had blessed me with and I felt like it was my job to guard it with everything I had in me.

After a few hours of jumping and swimming I was exhausted. If it hadn't been written all over my face, Edward would have still known. Now that my life revolved around Nessie – and I had nothing to be embarrassed or concealing about in my relationship with her – I was overall thankful that Edward could read my mind. It was convenient most of the time. He understood me better than anyone else, even Bella, my second best friend in the world – Nessie being the first, of course.

One day, Nessie would understand me the most. In the meantime, she'd just need to be left in the dark. How could I explain such a thing? My plan was to just let nature take its course. I would never try to make her do anything she didn't decide to do on her own. I didn't want to tell her 'Hey, you're meant for me, so don't even think about other options. I'm it and that's that.'

Our relationship was already incredibly strong. She spent most of her time with me, it was her choice, and that fact filled my heart with happiness every single day. Nessie loved me all on her own free will, just the way I was, no matter what I wore or how unpolished and impolite I could be at times. I adored everything about her; she was my reason for living. Every morning, she rushed to my room before doing anything or speaking to anyone else unless she just happened to pass someone along the way. The way her smile – the one she saved just for me – made my heart beat harder and faster could only be completely understood by one person, Edward.

"Alright, let's pack it up for a little while," Edward said casually as he sat beside me on a large rock atop the cliff.

"Thanks, man. Much longer and I'd be falling asleep mid-jump," I said to Edward.

He casually placed his cool arm around my shoulders in a very masculine, friendly way. His arm was warmer than usual due to the heat and beaming sun. Fortunately I was already wrapped in a beach towel.

"Brother," he paused, turning to look me in the eye, "You deserve it. Not just the forthcoming nap, but everything. Renesmee, living in the mansion with us, being a part of our family, coming to the island, everything."

We locked eyes for a moment, sharing a mutually appreciative gaze. He stood and reached to offer me a hand up which I took. Sentimentality was something I've never been good at outside of my relationship with Nessie and my very short-lived attempt at romance with her mother, and even that was shoddy.

"Thanks, man." That's all I could come up with. He pulled me in for a one-armed man hug and patted my back firmly a couple of times.

We met Nessie and Bella at the bottom of the cliff and walked together back to the house. Nessie rode on Edward's shoulders the whole way. I walked between the two of them and Bella. Her curt behavior had subsided after we all jumped into the water, and I didn't question the reasoning behind it. For all I knew maybe she had a squabble with Rosalie regarding which couple would get to occupy the yacht next and when the switch would happen, something I really didn't want to know about.

Nessie and I napped on the rooftop chaise lounges. They were surprisingly comfortable and if I curled myself into a ball my feet didn't hang off. We slept for over three hours in the warmth of the sun. I woke up first, but stayed in my chaise and admired Nessie's new glow. On the small whicker table between us stood two plates of fresh fruit – most of which I couldn't identify – and two empty glasses that would typically be reserved for girly cocktails.

I reached for what looked like a blueberry and suddenly Alice was in my ear. "Those are acai. Careful, they've got large seeds in them, but they are incredibly healthy." Her whisper was hardly audible.

She filled one of the empty glasses with a bright pink frozen concoction and ran back down the atrium stairs silently. Nessie was still sleeping, she hadn't even stirred. I tossed a handful of the mysterious berries into my mouth, not even thinking of what Alice had just said, and nearly chipped a tooth.

"I tried to tell you," She whispered, lying in the chaise on the other side of me. I held a finger up to my lips to gesture for her to be quiet.

"She's going to wake up in less than a minute anyways," Alice said, no longer trying to keep her voice hushed.

She was right, Nessie hopped into my lap just seconds later. Her face appeared as though she'd slept an entire night, washed her face, and had a cup of coffee. It was beaming with excitement and energy, and that stunning glow.

"What are we going to do next?" she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity and vivacity.

"There's a pretty big coral reef over there just past the drop-off." Alice pointed to the southern side of the island which was close to the house. "You guys could go diving. There's gear and tanks inside."

"I've never been diving. I don't have the faintest idea of how to do it. You know Nessie and I have to breathe, right?"

Alice eyed me incredulously, like I was missing something obvious.

"Edward's no dive master, but he watched numerous instructional videos and read a few good books on the subject. He can give you a lesson." Alice giggled at her conclusion.

"Oh please, my Jacob, please can we go?" Nessie said using the words she knew would yank my heartstrings into caving to her every wish.

I looked into her fluid brown eyes and melted. There was no other option. "Of course we'll go. Let's go talk to your dad."

Edward drove the boat out to the drop off point and set anchor. We had gone over everything five times inside the house and did a short shore dive just to be sure we knew what we were doing. The reef wasn't too deep, just right for a first timer. Nessie and I hopped into the water. I felt ridiculous wearing the face mask. Nessie used her underwater camera to snap a picture of me grimacing.

The reef was like nothing I had ever seen or imagined – A rainbow, alive beneath the water; clusters of waving corals, colorful fish swimming all around. The life surrounding us was absolutely undisturbed by our presence. We gently touched everything; even the fish didn't mind. A starfish worked its way up my back, I hadn't even noticed until Nessie gently pulled it off and showed it to me.

There were so many creatures I had never even so much as seen a picture of. One large fish looked like a rock. It felt like one, too, when my bare foot brushed across it. Our tanks got low far too soon and we had to return to the surface. Edward said he was watching us from the boat the entire time, wishing he could have been with Nessie during her first diving trip. I had a feeling he was watching out for our safety, too.

That evening, we had a party on the beach complete with a bonfire, upbeat island music, modified volleyball games, and two girly glasses filled with various frozen fruit concoctions. While Edward put Nessie to bed, Bella and I walked around the beach. It was rare for us to have anything exciting or new to talk about – we had lived together for over two years and been close friends even before that.

Nessie had already shown her everything she'd seen while we were diving, but I still felt the urge to give her the details of my trip. She seemed interested and cheerful. I'm sure my human descriptions paled in comparison to Nessie's vivid images, but Bella didn't show any sign of boredom. She looked into my eyes the entire time I spoke and inserted excited gasps and nods at appropriate moments.

When Edward came back outside, he joined the others instead of us, which I was grateful for. Bella and I didn't spend much alone time together, and sometimes I just wanted to talk to my friend without a third wheel around.

The remainder of the trip went much the same as the first day. Something new to experience daily, parties around a bonfire, foods I'd never even heard of, quality time with my family, and very little sleep.

Edward taught me how to drive the small boat. Nessie and I went diving almost every day. It was our favorite part of the trip. Edward and Bella came with us a couple of times, warning that things would be much different while they were in the water. It was. The creatures that didn't scurry away burrowed themselves into nooks between coral formations. It was still beautiful, even without life swimming all around us. Every time we got on the small boat to go diving, Nessie's face lit with the same enthusiasm as the first time.

Sunsets on the rooftop balcony were extraordinary. From the top of the house you could see everything in every direction. The vibrant colors lit up the entire sky, displaying every shade of blue, purple, pink, orange, and yellow. The sky was cloudless for the majority of our trip, but when clouds were in they sky they provided an even more color and detail to the marvelous display.

On a few occasions, Carlisle took everyone out on the yacht and sailed around the ocean for the day. This provided Nessie and I a new diving opportunity – underwater caves. We dove separately from the other Cullen's. There weren't as many colorful fish or corals, but the formation of the caves was very interesting.

Emmett, Edward, and Jasper wrestled with the underwater predators for fun. There weren't many of these around the island given that the water was mostly shallow, but on the open ocean they were everywhere. I was used to watching the Cullen's do impossible things like hit mile-long homeruns or leap from treetop to treetop, but the island and ocean provided a whole new spectacle. I'd never seen them in the water, or jumping from extreme heights except from the top of a tree onto the ground.

Renesmee and I went to the mainland a couple of times. Rio de Janeiro was a bustling city tucked into the jungle. Isle Esme held every bit of beauty that the mainland provided. Our primary reason for going was to stock up on food and other human goods. The weekly street market offered even more produce variety than Esme had already given me. Nessie made a few purchases, local handmade accessories for all of her favorite women. The beach in Rio was stunning, but the island was much nicer. Isle Esme had no risk of being spoiled like this beach, completely lacking the thousands of boats and tourists every day.

At the highest point of the city stood a massive statue the locals called 'Christ o Redentor,' or Christ the Redeemer. It could be seen from almost everywhere in Rio. We hiked to the top and admired the view. Even from here you couldn't see Isle Esme. Religion wasn't of any significance to either of us; it just looked like something entertaining to do.

We continued to hike around Tijuca National Park, which looked a lot like the island with the exception of the breathtaking waterfall and higher elevation. The mountains in the park were lush green, like Forks except completely different species. Nessie pointed out dozens of creatures, giving a brief background about them. Every time she came across a living thing we hadn't seen, her eyes grew wide. We held hands and climbed the vast mountains with ease.

Zafrina, Senna, and Kachiri came to spend a few days with us on the island. This proved to be quite a challenge for me, since they were not "vegetarian" vampires. I left the house trembling several times but managed to never phase. I didn't feel threatened by them and the Cullen's would have protected me if anything did happen. Renesmee was thrilled to see Zafrina. The two of them sat together on the rooftop for hours sharing images.

As much as I hated being away from Renesmee, as much pain as it caused me – and possibly her – I had to leave the house whenever she was with them. Jasper and I hiked and went swimming a few times during their visit. I had a feeling it was his strange ability that kept me from phasing, which would have most likely led to a confrontation none of us wanted. When they left, it felt like a boulder had been lifted off my chest.

Carlisle and Esme left two weeks early – he had to get back to work – but things didn't change much. No one here appeared to be older than twenty, but we were all mature, responsible adults with the exception of Renesmee who was still hardly a child. Everyone was disappointed to see them leave. I couldn't help but think to myself how much less appealing my meals would be until we returned home. Bella offered to cook for me on a few occasions, but I couldn't bring myself to accept.

Edward and I hung out several times. At home, we would occasionally chat after Nessie went to bed, but he and I had never become good friends until this trip. The close quarters lent a hand to this, and Bella and Edward didn't want to miss a moment of Nessie's experience, so the four of us spent even more time than usual together. The two of us talked about everything under the sun. His past experiences, wolf things, Renesmee, hunting, the countless times he saved Bella's life, the numerous times I had taken her to the hospital while he was away – a topic he had no interest in other than thanking me copiously for the hundredth time, it had yet to become a past event that he could look back at and laugh. Bella hardly even remembered it, and I have a feeling that what she thought she remembered was no more than what I'd explained to her since after the change. I felt like a third wheel a couple of times, but they managed to keep their romantic gestures to a minimum in my presence.

Isle Esme was a piece of heaven on earth. At times I wondered if it were all a mirage that would disappear, leaving me in an empty desert; or a wonderful dream that I'd wake from in my old bed in La Push. But it was too real to be a dream, and I wasn't imaginative enough to fathom something this incredible.

After a month of the most lavish vacation known to man, we had to leave. Nessie and I were the most saddened by this fact, since we weren't sure if or when we may ever get to come back. Our time together had been perfect. My girl's life was a fairytale every single day. The thing I was most dreading about leaving was her glow. The glow I'd never seen in the dull overcast of Portland or Forks. Even on a cloudless day it wasn't comparable to this sunshine-like glow that radiated off her flawless skin here.

Esme had to ship an outfit for her to wear home. She had a growth spurt while we were here and the going home outfit she brought wasn't long enough. She shot up from about the size of a six year old to that of a seven year old. Her dresses were long to begin with, so now they were at or just above the knee. The sleeves of the sweater she originally packed didn't come anywhere near her wrists.

The trip home was much different from the trip down. Nessie's bouncy energy had gone sullen. We sat on the top deck of the yacht again, in the dark, staring at the sky and water around us. She hung out the window of the limo again, but only to catch as many last glimpses of this magical place as possible. As I watched the world go by through my window on the plane, I reflected on everything this past month had brought to my life.

Nessie hadn't had any further painful separation moments; that was good. But what did it mean? Why was it happening to her? My brothers had never mentioned this, aloud or subconsciously. After spending a month with her hardly out of my sight, my own separation pains would probably be worse.

I contemplated various ways to move my bedroom closer to hers, but fell short. The only option would be moving Carlisle's study which was on the other side of Renesmee's bedroom wall, and I could never ask him to do that. Besides, there wasn't another space in the house that would accommodate his towering shelves of books that wasn't already occupied.

The more I thought about home, the more I wanted the flight back to be over with. My huge bed, my workshop, my shower that was nearly the size of my La Push bedroom, Esme's cooking – oh how I longed for her cooking. Then I realized how much missed Esme, the only mother I'd ever known. Suddenly I couldn't wait to return to my normal life; the life where I spent my days playing around the astounding house with my favorite girl, building things with my bare hands, and eating American food.

Bella turned around in her seat directly in front of me "Jacob, do you want to go to Forks next weekend?" she asked. Nessie was bouncing with energy and excitement again as she popped her head above her mothers waiting for my answer.

"Absolutely," I said in a sigh. I had so many questions for the others, and I hadn't seen my father since a week before we left. Nessie continued to bounce in Bella's lap as she released a delighted squeal – the cutest squeal in the world.

"Oh I can't wait to show—I mean tell everyone all the things we did, Jake!" Nessie cried out to me over the seat. She bit her lower lip hoping she hadn't just gotten herself in trouble.

Before the trip, I didn't like to refer to her as 'my girl.' I was 'her Jacob' in every sense and she was fully entitled to call me that. Love wasn't even a grand enough word to describe it. Every time I heard her little voice say "my Jacob," my heart swelled inside my chest. She had no idea just how much I truly belonged to her, how I existed if for no other reason but her. There was no end to the lengths I would go to just to make her smile that smile that could light up the night sky.

In my eyes, she had belonged to Bella and Edward and I was patiently waiting my turn. I never wanted to intrude on their relationships with Nessie. I had set boundaries and tried my best not to cross them, the primary boundary being that she is their child and should be spending her time with them. She should run to them when she is worried or upset, they should read her stories at night, she should be a daddy's girl; these were the things that normal little girls did.

On the island there were no distractions to keep me busy while she spent time with her parents. At home I used the distractions to guarantee that she would spend time with them without my presence. Nessie and I were inseparable for a month. We did everything together with very few exceptions. When she woke, I woke; when she napped, I napped; when she hunted, I hunted. If she was with me, she was either by my side, holding my hand, or on my shoulders. Bella and Edward didn't seem to mind at all. They looked pleased at the way things had all come together over the last two years. When Edward and I had our manly heart-to-heart conversations, never once did he even let on that he was offended by the way I consumed all of his daughter's attention.

As if she were reading my mind at that moment, Nessie crawled over the seat and into my lap. She sat on her feet and laid her head on my shoulder while she hugged my neck.

"Mom said it won't be long now. Only about another hour before we land." I turned and looked into her warm eyes as she spoke to me and my insides melted. Every aspect of my existence revolved around the little girl in my lap.

I kissed the top of her head. "Thank God, it seems like we've been on the way home for days." Our flight home was a few hours longer than going down. Houston was too sunny for a mid-day layover so we had to stop in Atlanta.

I hadn't slept much during the 20 hour trip from the island to the house. I dozed for probably a total of four hours combined. We left at 10:00 at night; it was 6:00 in the evening when we finally made it home. At that moment, the only thing I could think of was my bed. Esme and Carlisle walked out the front door as the two limos made their way up the long driveway. Nessie and I were the first ones out of the car.

"Sunshine!" Esme called to Nessie as they barreled toward each other. Esme looked overjoyed that we were finally home, like her children had just come home from summer camp.

"My, Jacob, you got so much sun!" she said to me as she wrapped her motherly arms around my waist. I lifted her off the ground as I squeezed her back. I didn't fail to notice that the smell of alfredo and olive oil lingered in her hair.

Carlisle and Esme continued to greet everyone excitedly as they filed out. When I entered the foyer, I realized that the smell that had lingered in Esme's hair filled the air around me. She took my hand a few seconds later.

"I hope you're hungry," she said, pulling me toward the kitchen. Of course I was hungry, but all I really wanted to do was sleep.

"Of course! It's like I haven't eaten in two weeks!" I flattered her.

She led me to my usual seat at the counter and I shoveled my food down with Nessie alongside me.

"Now go rest, honey," Esme said to me as I finally sat my fork down after eating three servings of chicken alfredo.

That night, all of my dreams were associated with the last month. The breathtaking sunsets, rainbows of coral, and most of all – my glowing girl.

**A/N:**

**FYI - I particularly love the next chapter :-).**

**Here's the album for this chapter: picasaweb dot google dot com/fairytalesfanfic930/Chapter7**


	8. Magnified

**A/N: **

**This is one of my favorite chapters in the story. **

**I don't own Twilight or anything related to it. **

Chapter 8. - Magnified  
JPOV

"Okay, you ready?" I called to Nessie as I stepped back another ten yards, making the distance between us roughly fifty yards. The hot July sun beamed down on us from above, providing a perfect day for practice.

She took several slow deliberate breaths. "I think so." Her eyes focused intently on mine and she froze. Three seconds later, I saw it. A crystal clear image of me, opening my Christmas gift from last year.

"Holy crow, Ness! You did it!" I shouted back to her excitedly.

My feet were firmly planted into the grass, preparing for her to come charging into me. I would not let her knock me to the ground this time. My arms were open and I was crouched down. When she reached me, I lifted her into the air and twirled her around above me. Normally she'd have caught me off guard, but I was getting good at this. We'd been practicing on expanding her gift ever since we got back from the island. Zafrina and Bella inspired her with talks of how amazing it was that Bella's shield became so exceedingly strong almost spontaneously.

At first, it was very slow going. She didn't have a life-or-death situation to provoke immediate magnification of her talent. It was much like when Bella was trying to expand her shield, we had to find something for her to focus on, something to stimulate the need for it. Anything potentially life threatening was absolutely out of the question.

The first time took days to accomplish. I sat in front of her cross legged, our knees just an inch apart. The house proved to be too distracting after the first hour. Hearing every tiny sound had its advantages, but being able to hear what everyone in the house was saying made it difficult for Nessie to concentrate.

First she tried focusing with her eyes on various parts of my face. If it were physically possible, the veins in her head may have popped out from the way her face nearly bored holes into mine intensely. Then, since her talent originated from the touch of her hand, she tried holding her hands very close to my bare skin without touching. That, too, was ineffective.

After spending three days trying everything that came to mind, it finally happened. She and I were alone deep in the forest. We had just spent the entire morning trying to find something that would spark anything, a tiny glimmer of an image.

"Want to take a break, Jacob? It's about lunch time, isn't it?" Renesmee asked me.

"Sure, if you want to. We can come back in a little while. Maybe we could send the family out first to scare off the animals." I chuckled.

"That's actually not a bad idea." She paused, staring off in space deep in thought. "I want to try something."

I sat back down on the ground in front of her. "Let's see it," I replied, flashing her favorite smile.

"I want to go to China. With Rosalie and Emmett," She said flatly, clearly implying that I wasn't on the guest list. It felt like my heart hit the ground in front of me.

"O-kay" I couldn't help that the words came out stressed, revealing the pain that ripped me apart inside. Not another trip to China. "What for?"

"I don't know, maybe if we were apart for a couple of weeks it'd help clear my head. It can't hurt to try."

HA! Couldn't hurt? Two weeks?! Maybe it wouldn't hurt her, but I would most likely feel like I'd died and gone to hell.

I stood up and began to pace. Though we weren't more than seven feet apart at any moment, I still felt my heart pulling me back to her side. I didn't want to show her just how wholly her words had ripped me up inside. Two days with her in China felt like one hundred. The pain left me feeling broken and deeply depressed. I knew she was safe and would return very shortly, but my subconscious didn't care for logic. Anguish rolled over me in waves as I stood there trying to think of a way to convince her not to go.

My eyes widened as my mind filled with a fuzzy image, foreign to me. It was from her previous trip to China. She was cuddling the small stuffed wolf I gave to her the morning she left. My torment was overcome by the joy that filled me when I realized what was happening.

"You did it! You did it!!" I yelled loudly as I ran back to her and scooped her into my arms, feverishly kissing the top of her head repeatedly. "But— "

She cut me off. "First – I'm not going to China, nor do I ever want to go anywhere that far away without you. Now I'll explain what happened."

We resumed our previous positions, sitting in front of each other cross legged on the quilt we brought.

"When you said something about the others, it reminded me that Rosalie mentioned wanting to go to China for a few days this morning. For a split second, I thought of going with her, but then I remembered the agonizing pain I felt when I hopped off the boat at the island and how my heart and soul has had this gravitational pull to you ever since that moment. I wasn't sure how to make it happen, but then you just got up and paced all on your own. The farther you stood, the more I could feel the pull. The fact that you were so upset intensified it considerably. I'm so sorry about that, by the way." I tried to interject, but she continued. "I focused assiduously on the pain in my chest while I looked at you standing there. I wasn't even sure if you could see it or not, because you stood there motionless before and after I had tried."

Finally she let me speak. "Honey, don't apologize. If it means you figuring out how to develop your gift, rip a hole in my heart every day. Just promise you won't ever leave me for two whole weeks. I wouldn't doubt it if one of the elders told me I could actually die from it." I embraced her again, this time with more love than excitement.

"Promise."

After practicing for a few weeks, we discovered that with the right amount of focus and distance, the heartbreaking words weren't necessary. Thank God. Without her hurtful words, the images were a bit fuzzy, not quite as clear as when she touched someone. She just had to focus on the feeling the distance between us provided her. It was great that she was improving, but I hated to see the strain she had to put herself through in order to do so.

We tested her abilities as to how far I could be before the images would disappear. With time, the distance increased. What started out as seven feet was now about 150 feet. Two months after we began, she was able to show me images within twenty feet with great ease.

The second trick she picked up shocked us both. The Cullen's, Charlie, and I all went on a Mediterranean cruise - which never went near Italy - over the Christmas holiday; Carlisle and Esme's gift to the rest of us. I insisted that they not spend anything else on me after they spilled the beans about the trip.

Naturally, we all had balcony suites. Edward, Bella, Nessie and I shared one suite. This was my idea; there was no sense in booking a separate suite for me alone since Edward and Bella didn't need a bed, and the booking said it was a six person cabin so there would be plenty of closet space. Surely they wouldn't risk demolishing a ship full of innocent witnesses just to satisfy their lust for one another, one week wouldn't kill them.

The second night of the cruise was one of the two formal nights. I walked out of my room wearing a new three piece suit – Ralph Lauren this time, black with pinstripes. My button down shirt was blood red, a color Nessie liked on me, and my tie was striped shades of gray. Bella was standing on a stool adjusting my tie when Nessie walked into the room twirling, showing off her latest custom gown – a blood red floor length satin dress with a poufy ruched skirt, black satin sash around the waist, and straps instead of sleeves. Very grown up for her age, but not revealing at all. I wondered if there would ever be an event we attended where we didn't match. I picked the suit myself only a week ago; no way would they have had time to order a custom dress in a week. This must have been coincidental. Or was it?

Bella stepped down to admire Nessie's elegant attire. I caught her eye as she danced around all of us. That's when I heard it – _My my my Jacob. You look gorgeous. Smell nice, t__oo_.

I heard it clear as day. It was her melodic voice; she spoke it as though she had been quite taken by me. Her lips hadn't moved though. My brows furrowed as I didn't understand what had just happened.

Then I heard her voice again – _What?_ she asked, she was still dancing and yet again I didn't see her lips move.

Edward cut his eyes to me, then back to her. I wasn't the only one who noticed something strange.

"Nessie, you look absolutely gorgeous," I said to her. She finally stopped dancing in front of me.

She did a curtsey. "You look rather handsome yourself, Jacob," she replied, though her voice was much more reserved this time.

Edward opened his mouth to speak, but I held my hand up to cut him off. "Do you know what just happened?"

She looked confused. "What are you talking about?" Nessie replied, taking my hand and twirling herself around my arm.

"Focus. This is important. You said something to me when you first came in the room, didn't you? I heard you."

Nessie's eyes locked with her father's. "The truth, Ness," Edward said to her sternly.

She bit her lip. "I-- I don't know what happened. I was just thinking it, in my mind. I was speaking to you, but only in my thoughts, nothing I intended to say aloud." She paused, taking a deep breath. "May I please be excused? This is humiliating." She stared at Edward with pleading eyes while she resumed biting her lip.

He kissed the top of her head and muttered "Yes. Take your wrap and be back in half an hour." Good, she had a wrap to cover her bare shoulders.

She didn't speak a word to me or Bella as she gracefully draped a black satin wrap around her shoulders and stomped out of the cabin, the delicate pile of curls atop her head bounced with every step. My heart longed for her already. Half an hour; with great effort, I could handle half an hour. Not knowing where she was just made it that much worse. Maybe I should go talk to her?

"Give her some privacy, Jake," Edward insisted. Bella had returned to her bathroom to finish getting ready.

I let out a painful half-chuckle. "It's hardly as easy as you think."

"That heart of yours is a very strange thing." We sat across from each other in the small living room.

"No kidding," I muttered. "Where is she going?"

"As far away from me as possible, likely the back of the sky deck. I heard more than you did." His voice was thick with implications. I raised my brow in question. "It's nothing I wouldn't expect out of a seven and a half year old little girl who spends every waking moment of her life with a... handsome... male who caters to her every whim."

I let my head fall back against the sofa as I stared aimlessly at the ceiling. "She's too young for this. Ugh. What am I going to do now?" I pulled my head up to look at Edward's face.

"Absolutely nothing. It's harmless. She thinks the same thing that every other little girl thinks when they see you... women, too. People gravitate to you. You're warm and inviting, it's almost like you're a vampire. Anyhow, if you do things differently now it won't be good. Trust me. Just keep things the way they've always been. Don't make it awkward."

I let out a deep breath. "Has she had enough privacy yet? This hole in my chest is pounding harder. I don't even know where she is. Well, that way-" I pointed in the direction which my heart was pulling me. "but you know what I mean."

"What are you going to say to her? You need to think about that first. Smooth this over as best you can. She's really embarrassed."

"Any ideas? What's she thinking?"

"I've been trying very hard not to hear her since she walked out of the room so she could have the privacy she needs, but lately it's just been little stuff here and there about how you look. She doesn't have any idea what a boyfriend is, obviously. She just thinks you're cute. You're her best friend, the person she confides in. She's getting older and human nature is just beginning to take its course. Jacob, you're the only person in her life she doesn't think of as being her uncle, aunt, grandparent, or parent."

"Well what does she think I am then?" I wanted to leave right away, but I had to figure all this out first.

"Like I said, her friend. You've got at least a year before she starts chasing you with intentions of anything more than beating you back to the house from the forest." He laughed, he was so comfortable with all of this. It felt odd. I would think he'd at least be as worried as I was, if not more concerned that his daughter was on the brink of boy-crazy.

I took another deep breath. "Okay, I think I've got it. I can handle this. I'm just going to pretend it never happened. Act natural. Whatever, I'll be fine." I got up and walked to the door.

"Just stay calm and collected."

"Thanks, man."

I found Nessie at the very back of the boat watching the wake fade in the distance. There was no one else around; she had her wrap hanging over a nearby chair. She must have heard me walking up behind her, but she didn't look. Standing beside her, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to me.

"If it didn't hurt us both, I'd just crawl into a hole and rot for all eternity," she said, still staring off into space.

"Naah, I wouldn't want you to do that. Don't sweat it, okay? Really. It's alright." Everything I practiced saying on my way here was useless.

She propped her elbow on the railing and her head on her hand. "It's going to be weird now. You're mad at me." I could hear the tears building in her throat.

"My Nessie, don't talk like that. You've got it all wrong. I'm not mad at you and nothing is going to be weird or different in any way. You're still my best friend and always will be. I'm sure one day when you're my age I'll think of you that way, too. Then will _you_ get all weird?" A resentful chuckle escaped her. "If it's of any consolation, I think you're the most beautiful creature ever to exist. I truly mean that."

Finally, I broke her wall down. "You mean that? Everything you just said?"

I wiped the tears from her face. "Of course I do. You know what you mean to me. You do, don't you?"

"Sometimes I wonder, though. I can't help it. I mean, you're you and I'm me. Why am I so important to you? Why would you rather spend your days with me than find someone to be with like all the others?" Her deep brown eyes stared into the depths of my soul, did she really need to ask?

"That's just the way it is. You know that. I love you to death. You're the most important thing in the world to me." I made sure to keep my tone serious so she understood that I meant every single word I spoke. "Don't you remember all the times we've talked about this? I know most of the conversations were brief, but we've had a couple of long ones. Everything I've said is true." With the exception of my lying by default, leaving out bits and pieces she did not need to know about. "Can we go back to normal now? Please?" I knelt down and gave her a big hug.

"I'll try." Anxiety still lingered in the air. "Well, it looks like we've got something new to practice now. So, you just heard me, like I was speaking to you out loud?" Her voice was starting to level out.

"That's exactly what happened. I heard you clear as day." I gave her a moment to respond, but she didn't. "You about ready to go back? The clock's ticking. Let's just pretend this never happened. I'll forget all about it. Who knows, maybe your dad can wipe my memory clean of it or something. You're still my Nessie and I'm still your Jacob. That's all that matters."

I picked her up so I could give her a real hug. "Love you," she mumbled as she buried her head into my shoulder.

"I love you too, with my whole heart, with my entire existence."

Things slowly returned to normal as the evening progressed. The Cullen's skipped the formal dinner, for this I was grateful. I hadn't been to the formal dining room yet, so I had no idea that the furnishings matched my attire - red cushioned chairs with black wood trim, white linens on the table, black and red accents scattered about. Nessie, Charlie, and I went, she only ate fruit and dessert.

Afterward, we went to the Captain's Ball and danced for hours. She glided across the dance floor so gracefully, twirling from person to person but mostly dancing with me. All signs of awkwardness were gone after a few dances. We were back to ourselves - inseparable best friends.

All of the Cullen women commented on my suit, they were shocked I managed to pair everything together so well. I replied with a genuine smile and said "What can I say, I learned from the best." I had, and I wasn't referring to the Cullen men. They'd taught me everything I knew about fashion.

Christmas onboard was incomparable. At times, it was a bit too upscale for my taste, but pleasurable nonetheless. We exchanged gifts in the private courtyard that all of our cabins surrounded. The Mediterranean was between 50 and 60 degrees throughout our trip, so it didn't look too incredibly odd to the servers that we were doing this. The luxurious furniture had been arranged so that we could all sit in a circle, all of our gifts in the center already separated by recipient. The courtyard was covered in Christmas décor and even had a nine foot Christmas tree.

My third Christmas with the Cullen's was much more comfortable and tolerable than the first and even the second. The first Christmas, I still felt like a stranger, a squatter in their home. The second was easier, but I was still uncomfortable with receiving such lavish gifts.

Now, I felt like a true part of their family, like I belonged with them. Esme was my mom, and if it weren't for my ties to Billy, Carlisle would have probably filled the role of father figure. Finding time to spend with him was difficult, what with my being consumed with Nessie and him working long shifts, but he still offered a tremendous amount of guidance. Plus, he took me in as one of his own, I owed it to him. This made it much easier for me to accept their much unexpected Christmas gift. I told them the trip was enough, of course they didn't listen.

After all the gifts in front of us were opened, I was ready to give Nessie hers. I was saving it for last, or so I thought. The corners of the box in my pocket had been digging into my leg for over an hour – the Cullen's opened gifts person by person one at a time, a very lengthy process. I put a lot of time and thought into choosing the perfect gift for her. Edward saw my queue and began to distract Nessie, showing her the details of the watch Bella had given him. I pulled the small blue box out of my pocket and adjusted the satin bow. Hearing the sound, she turned back to face me.

_Oh my gosh! Tiffany blue__!_ She said to me mentally, something that still startled me at this point.

"I hope you like it," I said as I handed her the box.

She slowly pulled the white satin ribbon off, then the lid and shook the smaller box out. She took a deep breath and gazed at the smaller box for a moment, then gradually opened it. Her mouth fell open as she sat in silence, shocked.

"Oh my gosh, Jacob. It's absolutely gorgeous! I can't believe this is for me!" A piercing screech of excitement escaped her lips.

"It's your birthstone. The roundness in the cut reminded me of the crown Charlie gave you when you were little, the one you wear the most. The color matches pretty closely, too." I told her as she placed the most expensive piece of jewelry I'd ever touched on her tiny right hand middle finger. "Does it fit? I had to have it custom made, I guess Tiffany doesn't cater to seven year olds. Alice said it would fit."

She gasped again as she gazed at the ring on her hand. "It fits perfectly."

Alice leaned in to admire the gift she and Bella helped me pick. "The cushion cut sapphire is three carats; the surrounding diamonds total almost one, set in platinum of course." Alice took Nessie's hand to admire it closely.

She and Bella escorted me around Portland in search of the perfect jewel, something I definitely couldn't have done alone. They refused to let the jewelers clue me in on the prices. We brought the crown with us as a reference. I thought it might help if we could show it to the sales associates.

Finding the perfect piece took much less time than it had to figure out exactly what I wanted to give her. The first place we went, Tiffany & Co., pulled several sparkling sapphire pieces out and brought them to a viewing room for me to examine under intense light and magnification. It wasn't necessary though. As soon as I saw the ring – one large sapphire surrounded by a row of diamonds with smaller diamonds accenting the band – I knew it was the one. After we were in the car on our way back to our home, I convinced Bella to tell me the price; over thirty thousand dollars. Where did these Cullen's get such an insane amount of money?

"Oh Jacob, I love it. Thank you so much!" She squeezed my neck with all of her strength.

"I'm so glad you like it, hon. It suits you very well." I squeezed her back.

"Now it's your turn, Jake. This is from all of us." Carlisle handed me a thick manila envelope. It couldn't be anything too expensive; surely they couldn't afford to pass out thirty thousand dollar gifts to everyone. Another trip to Isle Esme would be awesome.

"Open it," Carlisle said to me, noticing my hesitation.

"I thought you guys weren't getting me anything else? This trip is more than enough." I pleaded with my eyes, I felt guilty for accepting so much.

"Please, son?" Esme spoke in her kind, maternal tone. How could I refuse?

I dumped the contents into my lap, one glossy black folder that looked like a presentation. The first page stunned me, a sleek image of a brand spanking new graphite Infiniti QX56 parked in front of our house with a big red bow on the top. Unbelieving, I flipped to the next few pages which displayed images of Nessie showcasing the plush black leather interior, navigation system, three rows of seats, and all of the other bells and whistles. Still skeptical, I flipped the page again; a letter.

_Jacob, _

_We sold the old Volvo, so you can't refuse this gift. You do need transportation, don't you? Yes, the SUV in the images is now yours. Everyone else has a nice car; you deserve your own as well. Merry Christmas, we love you. _

_Esme, Carlisle, Edward, Bella, Renesmee, Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett_

"I—I don't know what to say." I took a moment to steady my breath. "Thank you. Thank you so much. This is unbelievable. You sh—"

"Don't say 'you shouldn't have.' We should have a long time ago," Esme said as she patted my hand which clenched a small envelope holding the key to a vehicle valued at more than my entire family's net worth.

It could have been much worse. An Infiniti QX56 is a luxury car, but not nearly as ostentatious as a Mercedes or a Porsche. This car suited me very well; not too fancy, appropriate and safe for a small – albeit invincible – child to ride in. I'm sure it was the least valuable car in the garage – the garage which was home to a small car lot of lavish vehicles.

The months following the cruise were spent fine tuning Nessie's two gifts. Her ability to speak with her mind came very naturally. All she had to do was speak to someone mentally just as though she were speaking aloud. The only thing we had to work on was constructing a way to differentiate when she was speaking audibly versus mentally.

There was no difference in the sound or volume of her voice. If she were going to be speaking to me on the rare occasions my back was turned to her, I'd need to know whether it was out loud or not if we were in a public place. I couldn't just go around answering questions no one else heard. That happened once and the people in line behind me at the gas station probably thought I'd lost my marbles.

As it turns out, I was the only one in the family who couldn't distinguish between her audible voice and her mental voice. The Cullen's could hear very slight differences they defined as sounding like she was speaking through a phone. It all sounded the same to me. Edward suggested she begin her statement with the name 'Jay Jay,' since it was something she never called me except for that once. And so it was, whenever she wanted to speak to me with her mind, she'd begin by thinking _Jay Jay._

After eight months of practicing almost daily, she could now show me an image from half a football field away with ease. We had yet to figure out a way for her to show other people images when I was in close proximity; it only worked if there was space between us. She also hoped that she could eventually figure out how to use her gift on people she couldn't see, like a family member out in the forest while she was in the house. She was still only able to speak mentally to those who were within thirty feet or so of her, and she had to be able to see them.

When we came home from the cruise, Edward was interested to see what he could do if he tried to expand his gift. He'd been in numerous stressful positions where it would have been incredibly helpful for him to be able to read minds farther out than three miles; he tried but was unsuccessful on all occasions. It was clear that this avenue was as good as it could get for him.

Both of Nessie's abilities descended from Edward's, so he began to try speaking to people with his mind the way she could. Given that Edward could do practically anything he set his mind to, he succeeded at doing it within a few months. It took a few longer for him to get through my head, though, since he was so much more attuned to his own kind.

He, too, decided to acknowledge me by calling me 'Jay Jay' whenever he would speak to me mentally. Combined with his ability to read minds, he carried on silent conversations with people on a pretty regular basis. He tried to figure out a way to crack Bella's shield without her trying to push the shield away simultaneously, but he was still unsuccessful.

All of the Cullen's who possessed unusual powers were trying to see what else they could do. It's not like they had a long to-do list anyways, and I'm sure after hundreds of years of doing the same things, a challenge would be nice. Jasper's abilities didn't seem to change much at all, but he couldn't think of anything to expand it to. Alice's didn't change much either, after her breakthrough with being able to read my future. She was hoping her visions would progress into something more solid, she wanted to see things beyond someone's decisions, she wanted to be able to know exactly what decision would be made even before the person was ever presented with choice. Edward didn't have much faith in her success, but she persisted.

A few weeks before Nessie's third birthday, Edward came up with a new project.

"I need you to be a test dummy for me, are you interested?" Edward proposed.

"Sure, I can take you out. Can I change first? Nessie got me these jeans for my birthday; I'd hate to get grass stains on them."

I doubted my ability to defeat him without phasing, but playing arrogant with Edward was always fun. At least if I had to phase, I could do so wearing something a bit less costly… like one of my few remaining pairs of generic brand sweats. Every gift-giving occasion, I was graced with heaps of designer clothes. After I had more than enough outerwear, jeans, shirts, and dress clothes they made sure to replace all of my pajamas, loungewear, socks, and even underwear. At least Esme was discrete about the underwear replacement.

"While I'd love to take you up on the opportunity, I'm referring to something a bit more substantial. You see, there will come a day – and I fear it'll be sooner than later – that I will really want to stay out of yours and Renesmee's minds. I do try my best not to hear her most of the time, but even then it's nearly impossible if she's anywhere near me. Imagine trying to block out the sound of someone's voice that was standing right beside you speaking. You see what I'm saying?"

"Okay, but how can I help?" I didn't understand what he was getting at.

"I want to test it out on you. I want to figure out how to block myself out of your mind, but have the ability to get back in if need be. I'm incredibly worried that if I start blocking someone, I won't be able to get back in. Since I will eventually have a very logical reason for blocking you out, it only makes sense that it be you. Worst case scenario is I can never hear the potential vile things you will eventually think of my daughter." His face was sincere.

"I don't even want to have this conversation with you. We can continue, but don't bring that up. You know I can't think of her in that way anymore than you or your brothers could. It's sickening. Ugh, please…"

It was inevitable that yes, one day I would think that way about her, and I could understand exactly what Edward was getting at, but I couldn't even bare to imagine one day thinking like that.

A half smile crossed his face. "You know what I mean, Jacob. Everything's cool. I just can't risk losing the ability to get back in once I'm out. We, as a family and a coven, rely on my abilities far too much. So, are you up for it?"

The thought of Edward being out of my head didn't bother me at all. My mind probably wasn't an interesting thing for him to dissect, anyways. "Sure, do I need to do anything in particular to help?"

"No, just know that if there's ever an emergency, I may not be able to hear your thoughts. I'm going to see what Alice thinks of this, maybe she'll know whether I'll be successful or not. Some reassurance would be nice." He started to stand from his seat across from me, but I held my hand up.

"Edward, I don't want any details, but I would like to know. Has there been more reason for you to want to stop reading Nessie lately? Like what happened on the cruise? Don't tell me details; just… is she still thinking of me in… that way?" My fingers were crossed tightly as I thought to myself _Please say no, please say no_.

"To be honest with you, Jacob… Sometimes, yes. Not often, but if you wear a certain cologne or color, or fix your hair a certain way… well, it's just little harmless thoughts. Harmless little thoughts I'd really rather not hear, but still. Don't worry about it. She's only what, nine? A little over maybe? I'm telling you, you've got probably another year before the hormones kick in. Oh just you wait, that'll be fun." His face went from entertained to solemn. "God, I hope I figure this blocking out before then, I really don't want to be in her head for that."

I wasn't ready for Nessie to grow up. I wanted her to thoroughly enjoy her childhood; that, and I really wasn't prepared for the backlash of adolescence.

**A/N: **

**What do you guys think of the way I've written Nessie and Jake's relationship thus far? Is it weird? I tried to write it like I thought it would happen if it were real. I've never read a Ness/Jake fic that went in depth in her childhood. I'm not making him out like some weirdo, am I? **

**Also, I forgot to post this on the previous chapters. As I write, I collect inspirational photos. I'm not the most imaginative person so having a little something to go by helps. When I have an idea, I dig around and find something that closely matches what I'm looking for. The photos aren't usually an exact representation of what I'm describing, but it'll help people like me who have a hard time visualizing some things. Most of the albums only contain a few pix, so it'll only take a second to flip through them :-) **

**This chapter's photo album: picasaweb dot google dot com/fairytalesfanfic930/Chapter8**

**I've never seen this done on any other fan fic. I collect the pics for my own use while writing but I figure why not share them with you folks! **


	9. Time

**A/N: I still don't have a beta. If you see a grammatical error, feel free to leave it in the review section along with your thoughts! **

**BTW, I still don't own Twilight or anything related to it… unfortunately. **

Chapter 9. – Time  
RPOV

I was running a year ahead of schedule. Grampy took my measurements on this morning and said I was roughly twelve, but my fourth birthday wasn't for another three months. If I continued to grow at this rate, I'd be fully grown in less than two years; a possibility that suited me just fine.

I was becoming aggravated with being a child, so ready to be done with it already. Being treated like a kid was fun when I actually felt like a kid, but now it just seemed like everyone was holding me back from doing the things I really wanted. Jacob was still my best friend, but things were getting weird between us. Maybe it was just me?

Jacob and I were on my balcony, he watched me as I worked on my first painting. All of my painting supplies were scattered everywhere in no order – similar to my state of mind. I'd been sketching for several months when Jacob took me to an art supply shop the day before and suggested I try my hand at painting.

It didn't take me long to decide my first piece – one of the most serene places in my little world, the landscape off my balcony. As luck would have it, the sun was protruding through the clouds, casting gorgeous yellow rays across the field. The wildlife was alive in the forest that was less than 50 yards from where I stood. I planned to paint a panorama of my breathtaking view, but my plans were abruptly ended when I heard thunder in the distance and the dark clouds began to descend toward my home, blocking out the yellow sun.

I stomped my foot and threw the paintbrush that was in my hand over the railing. Tears began to well in my eyes. Why on earth would unexpected rain induce tears when I'd spent more than two thirds of my life under thick cloud cover?

Jacob got up from his seat and wrapped his arm around me as he stood by my side at the railing. "Honey, are you okay? What's wrong?" He let about one second of silence pass before his curious face became panicked. "Nessie, tell me why you're crying! Are you hurt? What's going on?"

I shrugged his arm off my shoulders. "I'," I said sharply, but more tears escaped my eyes. "I—I don't know. Nothing's wrong. Just—I just… can you give me some time alone? I'm… I'm sorry." I gazed into his deep brown eyes, pleading.

He, too, looked like he would begin sobbing at any moment. My pain was his pain, though neither of us knew what it was. He kissed the top of my head and made his way inside, not saying a word. I longed for him instantly, I'd hurt my Jacob – the keeper of my heart. He was probably just as confused as me.

As I sat silently on my balcony, I began to think more and more about it. I needed someone to talk to, but I felt lost. This wasn't the first time I'd broken down into pieces over minuscule troubles. Mom and dad were absolutely positively out of the question, Jacob too. Alice may as well be one of them since she was such great pals with mom. Esme and Carlisle would never understand. So it was Rosalie. Irritation and impatience ran through every inch of me, though I wasn't even sure what I was so worked up about. There was something very abnormal going on inside my mind.

While I waited for Rosalie to get back from her trip to Portland with Emmett, dad, and mom, I scanned through this vast array of chaos that had been running through my mind over the last month or so with intentions of figuring out how I was going to approach her. What would I say? How could I say it in a way that didn't alarm her or send the others rushing to my side? I would have to get away from the house first.

I hoped she didn't have plans for the remainder of the afternoon. The minutes crept by ever so slowly as I sat and waited for Rose to get back, watching the clouds lurch overhead, listening to the soft sound of thunder in the distance. I couldn't help but readjust myself in the chaise every few minutes.

My chest ripped open wider when I saw Jacob almost running through the back yard toward the forest. My poor Jacob. It pained me to see him walking away so upset and confused, but I was equally perplexed and his curiosity and attempts to help only made matters worse.

_I love you_, I told him through my mind. My tone was solemn and apologetic. He glanced back and nodded as he walked away, his attempt at masking the agony in his face was useless. I could practically feel his chest ripping the way mine was. I'd have to go talk to him if I went anywhere with Rose.

The pain didn't subside, but I had to find a way to focus… to figure out what I was going to say to Rosalie. How was I going to present the problem to her if I couldn't even figure out what it was exactly? There was one thing I didn't have to worry about – Rosalie proved to be pretty good at keeping things from dad. She would just center her thoughts on herself and Emmett, something she knew he had no interest in eavesdropping on.

At last, I heard the quiet purr of her car speeding down our long, vacant road. Suddenly my uncertain thoughts were even more clouded. I'd just have to work hard to keep myself distracted around dad and convince Rosalie to leave with me as soon as possible.

I was sitting on the hood of Jacob's Infiniti – my new preferred mode of transportation, since it entailed him being my escort – waiting for them to pull in. My mind was focused on meaningless things like how the deep gray of the Infiniti reminded me of the ocean in La Push, which led me to thinking about Jacob so I had to scratch that and start over. Ice cream, yes, that's it. All my favorite flavors available at my favorite ice cream shop in town.

"Hey, sweetie. What are you doing in here? I thought you'd be painting. I can't wait to see what you come up with." Dad said as he pulled me off the hood and into his arms, carrying me with him toward the side door of the garage. Did he not realize that I was much too old to be carried around like a child?

Great, he was feeling inquisitive. _Ice cream, ice cream_, I told myself over and over. "I was working on it until the clouds decided to ruin my subject." I hopped out of his arms once we reached the sidewalk. Without thinking, my eyes shot to Rosalie. _S__tay__, _I told her in a pleading tone without using my voice. "I was getting something out of Jacob's truck; I'll be inside in just a sec." I kept repeating _ice cream_ in my head. Rose listened and waited for me in front of the side entrance to the garage while everyone else made their way to the house. Hopefully my acting skills would get me through this, and hopefully Rosalie would cooperate.

"What's up? You okay?" Rosalie inquired as she took in my troubled facial expression.

I forced a smile. "Um, are you busy this afternoon?" My feet were fidgeting with a rock on the sidewalk as I tried to focus on thinking of ice cream and smiling.

"No, not really. I was going to help Emmett. We picked up some new shelves for our bathroom while we were out. Why? What do you need?" Either she wasn't on to me, or she was focusing intently on not thinking of how miserable I looked under the façade. The sound of her indifference to helping out with the shelves was promising.

"Can we… go out for ice cream? As soon as possible? Just us?"

Without hesitation, she responded, "Yes, of course. Let's just tell everyone we're leaving first."

Maybe Alice saw this and clued her in, but I hadn't decided to go to Rosalie until long after she'd left, hadn't even thought of it. She could have called, but would Alice really be so intrusive? Of course she would. Either way, I was thankful that Rosalie accepted without hesitation or a line of questioning. Try as I may, this whole situation would be out in the open sooner or later. I just wasn't ready for that until I at least knew what was wrong with me.

"Can you tell them? I need to say goodbye to Jacob. He's out in his shop."  
"Yeah, I'll meet you back here in a sec." And she disappeared into the house.

The shop was everything you could imagine a mans workspace would be, and then some. The exterior was simple vinyl siding and windows with two entries and a garage door, the interior was filled with tools, screws, and other furniture construction necessities along with a large desk.

Jacob was working rather timidly when I entered the shop. Our eyes met as soon as I cracked the door open and my heart began to race. I ran toward him and he lifted me into his loving arms. Still trying my hardest to think of ice cream, I hopped down and began to speak.

"We'll talk later, okay? I'm going with Rosalie for some ice cream. I'll be back in a bit." His face crumbled. "I'll be fine, I promise," I said as I yanked his arm, bringing his face much closer to mine. I stood on my toes and kissed his warm cheek.

"Be back in an hour?" he requested, eyes pleading.

"Yes," I said as I hugged him goodbye.

"Love you," he called to me as I somberly walked to the door at a human pace.

"Love you more." I turned and replied.

"Not possible," he whispered.

Could it be possible that he loved me more than I love him? But how? I loved Jacob with everything I had in me. He was mine and I was his, we held each other's hearts. I gave up on keeping everything balanced; I loved Jacob more than anyone else on the planet, including my own parents. It didn't make sense to me, it was unnatural… but then again, what was natural about any of us? Loving Jacob more defied human nature and how parents were supposed to be at the core of a child's affection and adoration. My best friend meant the world to me. I couldn't stand to see him unhappy and being away from him ripped me apart, but I had to go.

Rosalie was waiting for me just where she said she'd be. She was intentionally not speaking and barely glancing at me. It was a good thing; tears had been streaming down my face just moments before she came into sight, she'd be able to see the slightest remains of moisture effortlessly. She put the car in reverse and waited for the garage door to open.

"Can you hold off on the speed until we're out of hearing range? Jacob."

I didn't have to explain, she knew what I meant. Jacob would worry to death if he knew how Rosalie only pretended to drive safely with me in the car. His worries were futile, though. He knew nothing could harm me.

"Yes ma'am." She smiled as she spoke, a smile that perked me up slightly. Alice must have told her everything.

The silence continued until we were about five miles away from the house.  
"Spill," she said as if she were looking for the latest juicy gossip.

"First, some prerequisites: one, I've got to be back in an hour, I promised Jake; two, you have to swear on Emmett that you won't expressly tell anyone and you will try your hardest not to clue my dad in on what we're about to discuss. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes and yes, though you know keeping anything from your dad is nearly impossible. Plus, there's always Alice." Rosalie sounded honest, I could trust her.

"I've been practicing. Wish I knew how well I was doing," I said as I glared out the window, not sure how to get the essential conversation rolling. "Did Alice say something to you? Does my dad know what's up?" I turned my head back to face her so I could read her expressions.

"I don't think your dad knows anything, but you know how he is. He's been trying to block your thoughts out of his mind for a while now, but he worries that he won't be able to get back in." I gawked at her, was he really doing this? "Alice didn't tell me anything about this specifically, but I could tell you were hiding something and she did mention a few weeks ago that you might reach out to me for help."

We were entering our small town now; she huffed when she finally slowed down to only ten over the speed limit.

"So you're telling me that my dad is trying not to hear my thoughts? Are you serious? Oh this is more perfect than you can imagine." Life just got so much easier; I could feel a small fragment of the tension subside. "Do you realize what this means? How important this is to me? Why didn't he tell me this?"

"So, gorgeous, what brings us to this fine establishment?" Rosalie asked, waving her hand to the ramshackle ice cream shop that housed the best homemade ice cream ever created.

"You're going to think I've lost it."

I had a couple of minutes to sort my thoughts out a little more, though I still felt about as crazy as I had earlier, while she paid for my triple chocolate ice cream sundae. She sat across from me at the picnic table and I hoped the rain would hold off for just a bit longer. Her face eyed mine impatiently.

"Alright, here goes. The thing is, well, I feel all weird lately. I don't understand anything. I get frustrated so easily, I cry all the time…" I sighed as my next statement came to mind. "And Jacob, I feel weird around him now. The other day, we were in his shop. He was working on some custom job for one of Nan's clients. It was rather hot inside, so he took his shirt off… something completely normal that he's always done whenever he gets hot. He would probably be content if he never had to wear a shirt again in his lifetime. Well, when he took it off, it was like this flash of heat or, or electricity… went through my body. His body was glistening with sweat and I couldn't help but stare. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I'm so glad he was too focused on his task to notice.

"Then, earlier on the balcony, he was rearranging the furniture so that I could find the perfect spot for my new easel – I wanted to paint a panorama out there. Anyways, he rolled his sleeves up before going to lift the lavender chaise and it happened again. I watched the muscles in his arms and neck flex as he lifted the chaise over his head and repositioned it on the other side of the balcony. I almost felt like I was going to start sweating. I'm being completely honest with you here, Rose, so please don't laugh. Something's wrong with me. It's more than just these weird feelings about Jake." I stopped to take a few bites of my ice cream, trying to calm myself after the flashbacks of my Jacob.

Rosalie nodded. "I'm here for you, Ness. Don't feel embarrassed. You can trust me. Go on."

I took in a deep breath. "Thanks Rose. On to the next strange subject. I've been having these strange emotional meltdowns over the most pathetic, minute things. I feel like a child, like I can't control myself. I cry at least every couple of days. I don't get it? Ugh, even now I feel like I'm going to just from talking about it." I slumped over my bowl of ice cream and took a couple of huge bites.

Rosalie straightened her shoulders. She leaned forward and lifted my chin up with her index finger. "If you'd like to take a break and eat, I might be able to offer some comforting advice," she said. Rosalie was very protective of and attached to me, but I'd never seen this side of her. She seemed more like a girlfriend, not an aunt, and definitely on my side.

"You have the floor," I muttered, my mouth still choking down a big bite of brownie. I waved my spoon toward the center of the table.

"Alright. Even after I explain everything, it still may not make sense to you. I'm going to try my best though." She paused, looking around her in search of the right words. "Right now, your hormones are going crazy inside your twelve year old body. It might even be worse for you than it is a normal twelve year old girl since thus far you're nothing like a normal girl your age. Your strange feelings for Jacob, the stress, everything. It all comes back to your hormones. You're slowly becoming an adult – a woman. You'll be a teen any day now. The things you just explained to me are all very normal. Difficult for you, but still normal. I promise it'll pass. Be glad that you only have to deal with it for a year, two tops. Most girls have to go more like four or five years."

My eyes bulged; I couldn't imagine this even continuing for a year, much less five.

"I'll be here for you as long as you'll have me. I won't tell anyone else the things we talk about, I'll do my best to guide you and help you, but now I need you to make me a promise."

I nodded, still sucking down ice cream.

"I want you to try very hard not to let this take control of you. Ness, you are such an amazing girl, your personality is so well balanced. You've got all of the positive aspects of your mother and father. Your spirit radiates around you, you're like everyone's personal ray of sunshine." Funny, that's how I thought of Jacob. "Things may get tough – worse than it is now even – but please promise that you will try hard to remember who you are and that everyone loves you. I'll always be here for you, you can trust me. I promise you. Now you have to promise me." I'd never seen Rosalie's eyes so pleading before.

"I promise."

"One more thing, if you want to make this easier on Jacob, you can try not to act any differently around him. Keep things the way they always have been. I'm not going to tell you to never look at him again, but try to be inconspicuous."

Rosalie was right. I still didn't understand. At least I had someone I could go to. I had a lot to think about, which reminded me of what Rosalie said about dad blocking my thoughts. When we got back to the house, I immediately rushed through the house searching for him. Jacob wasn't expecting me for another fifteen minutes. He probably heard us pull up, but the fact that we arrived earlier than I thought we would made it easier to leave our hearts pulling toward each other for just a bit longer.

"Dad! I need to talk to you. Look—" My voice was filled with urgency.

_Would you like to do this in private?_ He said inaudibly, speaking to me using his newly discovered talent.

_Good ide__a,_ I responded. _'Dad, it's quite simple – and I'm in a hurry. Rose told me you were trying to block out my thoughts. How's that working out?_ Our eyes were locked.

_You'll be pleased to know that it's coming along just as I'd hoped. I can't hear a thing unless I open myself up to it, but even when I'm blocking I can still hear it when you speak to me directly like this. You're the only person I'm doing this with, though. I can't risk losing my connection to the others. At least if I lose my connection to you I can still hear what you deliberately tell me. I don't have that advantage with the others._

_  
_I felt immediate relief surge through me_. Thanks, dad. Feel free to block my thoughts out for all eternity. _I giggled aloud.

_How about this - we'll arrange times, a few times a week, where I'll read you, just so I don't lose the ability to. Sound good?_ His expression looked honest and promising. He wouldn't invade my privacy; I could trust him on that.

_Great, just make sure to tell me beforehand. Thanks, da__d._ I hopped into his lap and squeezed his neck.

_Anytime. Trust me._ Sarcasm seeping through his unspoken words.

I broke the silence. "Love you. I've got to go talk to Jacob. You're out of my head, right?"

"Yes, but remember I can still hear the things you say out loud from a pretty good ways away."

"That's fine. I'm not worried about the things I'm going to say." I chuckled on the inside. His brows furrowed, bringing with them a grimace.

* * * * * *

A few weeks later, something Rosalie said began to come alive. Things were getting worse... much worse. I found myself running from numerous situations, on the brink of an emotional meltdown. Thus far I'd been able to keep myself together in front of everyone, and hadn't snapped at any person in particular, but situations. My family was starting to walk on pins and needles when I was around, afraid to set me off. Sometimes I hated myself for putting them in this situation, but for the most part I was just apathetic and petulant. I was a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode.

"What is your PROBLEM? What, you think I'll droll all over you if you take your shirt off?! How about this - I'll do us both a favor and stay in the house when you come out here. Maybe we shouldn't play sports together either. MAYBE we shouldn't hang out at all!" I yelled at Jacob. I felt his soul crumble into a thousand pieces on the shop floor.

"WHY did YOU have to make it weird, Jake??" I stomped out of the shop and slammed the door, not giving him a chance to respond. I hurt him, I knew that much.

I ran to Rosalie and begged her to take me out for ice cream at once. She agreed without vacillation. Things were much easier now that I wasn't worried about dad hearing my every thought, and Rosalie knew the drill. I was so happy to have her, she was the only person I could turn to, the only person I felt really understood me.

She sat down beside me at the same table we occupied last time. "I feel like such a jerk. I don't know what came over me." I consumed myself with the bowl of ice cream in front of me.

"What happened?" Rosalie finally asked, knowing it was still difficult for me to just come out and say things.

"We were in the shop again. I was sketching a portrait of him. In my portrait he wasn't wearing a shirt, but it was just from the shoulder up. I sketched my favorite smile on his face. Then, I looked up at him and noticed that his shirt was completely saturated with sweat. I must have been a little too goo-goo eyed when I smiled at him because he only half-smiled back. Then it clicked - he kept his shirt on for a reason." I paused, pretending to be occupied with my ice cream. "I've never spoken to Jacob like that before."

Rose was staring at me, left hanging. "What did you say?"

"You didn't hear me? I thought even the people in town heard me." I laughed half-heartedly and took another bite, regretting everything I'd said even more as the seconds passed. I'd have to relive the moment when I confessed to Rosalie.

"I just got back in from riding around with Alice in the Porsche when you ran inside. I missed everything, I guess."

I hesitated, but finally let the guilt wash over me. I deserved it. "I just said a bunch of horrible things I didn't mean. Basically that I thought we shouldn't hang out anymore, something that would probably kill us both... literally."

Rosalie's face turned smug. "What? No death threats? No 'I hate you'?" My expression turned sour as she wasn't taking me seriously. "Kidding, hon. I'm sure he'll forgive you. He knows you're going through a bit of a rough patch, everyone knows."

"You told?!" Had she betrayed my trust?

"Of course not. I have kept my word, but it's very obvious. You haven't been yourself lately. Its okay, everyone goes through something like this. Even your dad."

"Huh?" I mumbled through the ice cream.

"Ha! You're not dragging that out of _me_; you'll have to ask him yourself."

"You really think he'll forgive me? Jacob, I mean?"

"Ness, the boy needs you more than oxygen, more than food. He loves you with every speck of his existence. Of course he will forgive you. Just remember to try and take it easy, 'kay? Run to me before you explode instead of waiting until after you've said hurtful things you don't mean."

I dropped my spoon down into the empty bowl in front of me. "You're the best, Rose. I mean it. Where would I be without you?"

"Anytime. Really, any time… no matter what time it is, where I am, or what I'm doing. Now, would you like to discuss something a bit more cheerful?" She smiled as she swept my hair out of my face and behind my ears. "You're birthday is in a couple of months, anything you're hoping to get?"

"I've only thought of a few things, none of which are feasible and all involve Jacob." I ducked my head down in embarrassment with a tiny grin crossing my lips.

"Renesmee!" she said as she gasped. "Since you're confiding in only me and pretty much avoiding your parental units as much as possible, I must ask – what exactly are these things you're dreaming up?"

I was comfortable enough to be honest with her, and it wasn't anything too humiliating.

"Calm down." My eyes shifted around as I deliberated on the right way to say it. "Just like maybe… touching his biceps when he's all sweaty." My voice reduced to a broken whisper unintentionally. My eyes wandered to a far away place as I propped my head up on my fist. "Or spending an entire day watching him lift heavy objects without a shirt on." My heart pounded in my chest, my voice barely audible. At this point, I was more verbalizing the fantasies that were running through my mind rather than actually explaining something to an audience. "Or staring into his bottomless fluid brown eyes for hours on end…. Or… kissing him… on his glorious lips." I let out a big sigh and continued to wrap my mind around that thought; the one that I'd suppressed even though I was almost certain dad wasn't going to see it.

Rosalie kept her posture at ease. "That's not so bad. Impossible, but not horrible... Ness, are you listening?" She shook my arm, my chin still propped on my arm, my eyes still lost in thought.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Impossible," I said quietly when I finally snapped out of my daydreams.

When we got back home, the guys were engrossed in one of Jacob's video games. He'd never been much for playing, but Emmett and Jasper bought the system and several games as a birthday gift to him. It was more like a gift for all of them, though, as all three of them tended to get absorbed by it at least a few times a week.

Nervous, I took a seat beside Jacob – hunched over, leaning toward the television – and watched him pretend to unintentionally lose his last life and look disappointed about it. No one was convinced. Rosalie – my now second best friend – stood beside Emmett and lightly massaged his back. Jacob propped his elbows on his knees and turned his face toward mine, the first time he'd acknowledged that I'd even entered the room. His gorgeous face still looked wounded, crushed. Another half-smile crossed his mouth. I had to say something. I had to redeem myself, but how? What could I possibly say that might mend his wounds?

_We need to tal__k,_ I told him. He nodded just a hair. Emmett and Rosalie quickly looked away from us when I glanced over to them.

Jacob stood and I followed. My heart melted when he brought my hand into his and intertwined our fingers. I took a deep breath with intentions of clearing my head, but his overpowering scent – a combination of his natural masculine fragrance combined with whatever forty dollar shower gel Nan purchased him – made that impossible.

We walked side by side to my balcony, my haven. I loved to just admire the beautiful scenery; the gorgeous flowers and plants around the pool just below the balcony, the woods a little farther off in front, the large field we all played sports on to my left, the garden that housed rows and rows of all of my favorite flowers over to my right. Every direction provided a breathtaking view.

I plopped down into my favorite chaise, not releasing Jacob's hand, unsure of when the opportunity may come again. My heart picked up when he sat at the end of my plush lavender chaise, though I was disappointed when he released my hand from his warm grasp. I draped my legs over his lap casually, trying as hard as I could not to have goo-goo eyes and keep things absolutely normal and casual. This was going to be hard enough for the both of us, the last thing he needed was me making it awkward.

We just stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, neither of us knowing where to start. I felt obligated to initiate the conversation, since I was responsible for this. I had to break away from his gaze in order to concentrate and keep my mind focused. His facial expressions read much differently than mine. His were somber yet loving and forgiving. I was fighting to keep mine from looking too attracted to him, trying to keep it the way it was not long ago – friendly, like he was my brother. Things changed so abruptly. I couldn't have my way no matter what angle I looked at it from.

Going back in time, to a time where things weren't awkward, wasn't physically possible. Refusing to find Jacob attractive was highly unlikely. I couldn't have my way – have him feel the way I do for him. Unless everyone could build a time machine, time travel wasn't an option either. And so it was… this uncomfortable, embarrassing phase would just have to take its course. I hoped it was nothing more than a phase. Who knows, maybe things would go back to the way they once were on their own. Maybe my hormones would pipe down.

I stared out to the field; the sun was beginning to set, turning the colors of the clouds to various shades of pink and purple. "What I'm about to say hardly makes up for anything, but I can't think of a better way to say it. I'm truly sorry, Jacob." I turned to face him again, unable to keep up the façade.

"My Jacob," I whispered. "Please forgive me." My eyes continued to beg and plead, and then tears began to brim over. "I'm so sorry I said those hurtful things, Jacob. I mean it. I'll try my very hardest to control myself. I just don't know what's wrong with me, not that I'm trying to put the blame on anything besides myself." The words were gushing out faster than the tears that rolled down my cheeks. Jacob pulled me into his arms, but my mind was focused on feeling horrible, not his warmth or my physical attraction to him. "If it happens, I'll just walk away, okay? I know that'll hurt, too, but I'd rather do that than say anything I don't mean. You know I love you more than anything, right? Anything in the world. You know I'd never want to be apart from you, right? It would kill me." I stopped talking, but continued to sob into his shoulder.

Jacob patted my hair and kissed my head. "It's okay," he whispered. "I forgive you."

Those were the only words I needed to hear. He rocked me gently in his arms, continuing to run his fingers through my hair, while I let out all of my emotions.

After I regained composure, I pulled away from him. As comfortable as it was in his arms, I needed to finish what I was trying to say before. "Please, just understand. It's like I'm not myself half the time. Probably more than half the time. If I ever do anything like this again… if I ever hurt you… please try to understand." I stopped as my voice began to swell with emotion again.

"Nessie, it's alright. I promise. I honestly understand what you're dealing with. Growing up is tough. If you need to go get ice cream with Rosalie every single day, that's fine with me. I'll always be here waiting when you get back. You're still my girl, my Renesmee." He paused, gazing out to the pink and purple watercolor painting the clouds were gracing us with. "I'll always love you," he said, then scooped me up and buried his head into my hair. "Can I just say one teeny tiny thing? I really don't want to upset you whatsoever, but I need to say this."

I'd done enough damage; even if his words stung I deserved it. "Of course. I won't even have an emotional meltdown, promise."

"I think you're beautiful… beautiful is an understatement… and I don't ever want to live a day where you're not part of it. You're my world. For now, you're more like a…" He hesitated and sighed. This must be the part he was worried about. "Like a little sister to me. Emotionally, you're much more than that; but physically, that's how I look at you. I just need you to understand that. I am not trying to hurt your feelings; I just want to make sure we're on the same page. I've gotten so many different opinions on how to handle this and I'm just so confused. I don't want things to be weird around you; I don't want you to get mixed signals from me. You are allowed to feel and think however you wish, as am I. Is that okay with you? You understand what I'm saying, right?"

I nodded. "Love you," I whispered to him.

"Love you more," he whispered back. At this point, I was convinced that he did. It was not in his power to do anything that could hurt me in any way. The tears began to flow again as I realized that I didn't deserve such a wonderful person in my life. He pulled me into his arms and my world began to feel well. I would do everything in my power to never hurt my Jacob again.

**A/N: Sweaty Jacob = yum yum yum **

**What do you think of Nessie and Jake's relationship? I'm trying really hard to make sure it's not creepy at all. **

**No photos for this chapter. Only two chapters remain before we get to move on to the next portion of the series... the part where Nessie and Jake's relationship takes a turn. **


	10. Quick Author's Note

Quick note

I wanted to let my readers know why it's been so long since I've posted.

I haven't been able to find a beta (as most of you know, Jake/Nessie fics aren't among the most popular… seems like AU-Human Edward/Bella fics are the top pick). However, I did submit to twilighted and found out what my problems are/were. Everything about the story is the same, but I'm taking the time to go back and correct my errors.

Additionally, I've felt stuck lately. I'm working on the sequel to Fairytales and couldn't figure out where I wanted a certain part to go. Problem solved, so now I feel more compelled to get the ball rolling again.

I'm making a goal to have the chapters updated and a new one posted by the end of this week.

Thanks!


	11. Four

**A/N: The long awaited update! Sorry this took a while. I finally got some writing advice and wanted to go back and edit all of my previous chapters before going forward with more. I've got the first two chapters posted on Twilighted. There is one more chapter after this one before the sequel is posted. ****The sequel has a lot of adult content so I wanted to post it separately rather than keep the chapters up with this story. **

Chapter 10. – Four  
JPOV

Rosalie took Nessie out for ice cream three times per week on average. Somehow she refrained from losing her temper with me, but there were a couple of occasions where she abruptly ran away from me and went out with what seemed like her new best friend, Rosalie. Edward and Bella had a bit more difficulty, though. Every time they tried to talk to her about what she was going through, she exploded. It only took them a few tries to figure out that it was useless.

Rosalie played devil's advocate. She never divulged the details of their numerous trips for ice cream, but she didn't leave Bella and Edward completely in the dark. She encouraged them to not pry, let her have space.

It all came to an end when Nessie leaped off her balcony and darted into the woods alone at ten o'clock at night after Bella tried to make plans to go out for ice cream the next morning. The magnetic force in my chest made it fairly easy to find her, plus I was still a smidgen faster than her. I was shocked that she found comfort in my presence instead of shrugging me away as well. Bella and Edward stopped trying to talk to her after that.

I felt guilty for the way she behaved, like so much of it was my fault. She got upset if I did something like keep my shirt on when I was sweating to death in the shop, but if I took it off she still got upset and stormed out. Esme and I agreed that I would postpone my custom work after I finished the project that sent her storming out the first time. Unfortunately I had just started it and still had a couple of months of work to put into the fine details.

Seeing Nessie like that wasn't worth anything in the world, especially not money. I could find some other way to earn my keep, though these days I hardly felt obligated. Building custom furniture started out as a way for me to generate my own money so I wouldn't be so dependent on Carlisle and Esme. She did interior design for the socialites of Portland and I was her number one referral for custom furniture work. Nowadays it was just something to do, something to keep me busy. The others had their musings, this was mine. The money was nice, too. People with six figure incomes would pay exorbitant amounts of money for a dining room set they'd use for no more than a year or two, however long it took their wives to get sick of looking at it.

The day I finished my work for Esme's client, I felt at ease. I wouldn't come back to the shop until Nessie was through this awkward phase. I couldn't stand to subject her to it, and could never deny her presence in the shop. Renesmee hadn't been shopping in a while, and I'd just received my final payment – a whopping $7,000 on top of what I'd already been paid – so it seemed like a good idea.

We didn't go shopping together often, it was something we both preferred she do with the girls, but I wanted to take her myself with my money. She was turning four in less than a week; it would be her birthday gift from me.

I had told her the night before that I needed to go to Saks for some new jeans, that I needed to replace a pair that I ripped before Esme noticed they were missing. My original plan was to head out around lunch time, but thought it'd be nice for us to go out for dinner somewhere – or in Nessie's case, dessert.

The curtains were closed to Nessie's dressing room when I entered, indicating that she was still getting ready. Shelves and racks that were once occupied with costumes resembling every form of royalty known to man were now overrun with her clothing hoard.

She was still the same Nessie, though; the expansive dressing room – which resembled an upscale boutique more than one person's closet and dressing area – was organized by style. Some days she wore light and flowy, others bold and cheerful. Aside from the closet, the room hadn't changed much. She'd only stopped playing dress up maybe six months or so ago.

When she finally walked out, I tried not to look surprised, knowing that it might upset her. She was wearing makeup, something I'd never seen her wear before. Not much, just a little on her eyelashes and a delicate pink gloss on her lips. Edward let her rule her life, but was very strict when it came to how she looked in public. Even on her most showy day, she never pushed his limits with anything too short or revealing.

Her hair was straightened and came all the way down her back like liquid bronze. I noticed she was wearing the sapphire ring I gave her, something she saved for when she was going out. Thankfully, her outfit was modest – a simple cotton lavender dress that came to her knees paired with flat sandals and a white cashmere sweater. Something about lavender combined with the color of her skin and hair, she looked absolutely gorgeous.

I figure the more flattery, the better. I'd given up on trying to keep her from being attracted to me, why not make her happy. "Wow, Ness. You look gorgeous. And the hair, I like it. I like your curls, too. Your hair is perfect styled either way." Keeping my foot out of my mouth was more difficult than I'd hoped.

She smiled and batted her lashes. "Thanks," she said in a refrained squeal. "You look nice, too, Jake."

I smiled her favorite one, the one I saved just for her. "Thank Esme, she bought it."

She smiled my favorite one right back. "Esme didn't buy your hair, and I'm pretty sure I bought the watch and chain you're wearing. Let's not talk about the things that don't require money or gel." She touched my cheek lightly, showing me the smile I'd just shown her.

When we got in the car, she put in her favorite CD and cranked it up. It was a little soft for me, but listening to her sing along in tune with the guy made up for it. The remainder of the ride was spent alternating from her favorite songs to mine. We shared several favorites, too. She seemed to get lost in the music very easily, dancing in her seat and singing aloud. It's too bad she'd never have the opportunity to be a musician; she would have been great at it.

"Where are you going? You're supposed to turn left at this light. Look, the parking garage to Saks is right there." She pointed to the very obvious parking garage.

"We're going somewhere else, first. Emmett asked me to pick his watch up. He had to have it cleaned and the glass replaced after last week's hunting trip."

"He wore a nice watch hunting? What was he thinking?"

"I'm not sure that he was, but either way we're picking it up." I wasn't lying about the watch, but it was only my secondary reason for not going straight to Saks. I parked the car in front of Tiffany & Co.

"He wore a _Tiffany_ watch hunting?! He has serious issues. That's like defiling a national monument." She shook her head in disbelief. She only had a couple of Tiffany pieces – the sapphire ring and a silver necklace with a heart charm I gave her for Valentine's day – but she understood the injustice of Emmett's negligence.

I opened the door for her and she took my hand. We held hands all the time at home, but I was slightly uncomfortable doing so in public. A seventeen year old boy holding hands with a thirteen year old girl, not exactly socially acceptable; but if it made her happy then that's all that mattered to me. I could only imagine the humiliation she would suffer had I pulled my hand away from her or even tried to carefully word a logical reason for doing so. This was a special day and I couldn't ruin it by caring about stranger's prejudices.

We entered the store hand in hand and the gentleman at the counter nearest to the door greeted us warmly. I guess our nice attire was enough to convince him that we weren't loitering or wasting his time. He seemed to recognize me from when I purchased Nessie's ring nearly two years ago, then he saw it on her hand and automatically remembered. He must've made a nice commission off me that day, because he suddenly became much more enthusiastic about our presence.

"I'm going to get the watch, 'kay? Go ahead and look around, it might take a minute."

She let go of my hand and walked toward the sterling silver collections, admiring the bracelet that matched the necklace she already had – an item far below today's budget.  
I approached the gentleman who greeted us.

"Good afternoon, Sir. What can I help you with?" He smiled eagerly.

I hadn't thought this part through; I couldn't exactly tell him my intentions without her hearing. "I'm here to pick up a watch my brother in law had repaired." I handed him the service ticket.

"Of course, right this way." His enthusiasm slowly dissipated. We walked to the back of the store where I noticed pens. I pulled a receipt out of my wallet and jotted the man a quick note.

_The girl – take care of her. She doesn't know it, but she's in for a surprise. Show her the gold and platinum keys – diamonds. Whatever she picks, charge this and put it in a bag with the watc__h._

That was all I could scribble. I laid my bank card on the counter beside the note. He showed my note to what appeared to be his superior and handed him the service ticket. I could tell he was suspicious of mine and Nessie's age difference, but his desire for a sale overruled it. If I were in his position, I would have made a similar assessment, so I let him slide. It wouldn't be much longer before we looked closer to the same age and problems like this would be over. At least if she looked fifteen it would be almost appropriate. I didn't expect our relationship to progress any further for a couple of years, but at least being in the public eye would be easier.

Not wanting to keep me from the potential sale, he rushed back with Emmett's watch, showing me the corrections they'd made. He unlatched it so as to put it on me, but then noticed I was already wearing a watch – the Rolex Nessie gave me against my will. The man commented on how lovely it was and placed Emmett's watch in a box, then in a bag just as I directed. I took the slip he gave me and wrote another note.

_Keep it here until we leave, put my card and her purchase in the bag. I'll sign when I leave, but make it look like I'm signing for the repair. Be inconspicuous._

Gifts were great, but I took great pride in the fact that everything I was going buy Nessie today would come from my bank account containing the money I earned. Esme never let me pay for anything, so it was just sitting there doing nothing. I had made some investments – which were doing quite well thanks to Alice – but it still seemed like the thousands were just piling up and collecting dust. Custom jobs only took a couple of months, sometimes less, and the yuppies paid top dollar.

I returned to Nessie's side, Emmett's watch still behind the counter. She flashed me my favorite smile and reclaimed my hand. "See anything you like?" I asked her.

"Well of course I do!" She laughed. "Lucas here has been showing me all of the magnificence that is Tiffany."

Lucas gestured to the pieces he had taken out of the case, pieces Nessie had shown interest in. "She was particularly taken by this one." He held up a white gold key that resembled an old-timey skeleton key. The top was a row of diamonds forming a heart. Perfect, just the one I hoped she would pick.

"That's interesting." I saw the key online weeks ago and knew I wanted it for her. It wasn't the most expensive or flashy, but the only one with a diamond heart. This left room in today's budget. "Let's go take a look over here." I pulled her toward the sterling silver collections. "Look, Ness, the bracelet that matches your necklace." I looked up to Lucas. "Could you take this out?"

He took it out of the case and moved to put it on her, but I reached out for it instead and clasped it onto her wrist.

"It fits perfectly," I said to Nessie. "We'll take it."

"Oh Jacob! Thank you! Thank you! You're the best!" she squealed, hopping up and down while hugging me. Wow, I couldn't wait to see how she reacted to the necklace she really wanted.

I paid for the bracelet with cash. The two gentlemen played along with my charade just as hoped, so I casually slid them a tip. Nessie was too busy admiring her bracelet. She skipped all the way to the car and put on her favorite song – again – once inside the Infiniti. Now was the time. I turned the volume down and watched her energy level come down along with it.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

I smiled her favorite one. "Absolutely perfect." I pulled the bag out of the floorboard of the back seat and dug the lighter of the two boxes out, knowing it would be the one containing the necklace.

"I already have two souvenir Tiffany boxes; they didn't really have to go to the effort of tying the bow back so nicely."

I let out one chuckle, that wasn't what I was expecting. "Ness, this one's not empty."

She looked confused, so I opened the box, revealing the heart shaped key she fell in love with in the store. Her mouth fell open; she gasped and put her hands on her chest.

"Oh my gosh, Jacob." Her voice was barely audible, just a low whisper. "How'd—I didn't—"

I pulled my bank card out of the bag and fanned myself with it arrogantly.

"I'd say something sarcastic if I weren't so impressed and absolutely shocked." She giggled, but still didn't reach for her newest treasure.

"I need to tell you something. This key… it symbolizes something. It's the exact one I hoped you would pick, and the fact that you actually picked it… well, that says something too." I leaned over and put the necklace on her, pushing the hair from her face behind her ears. "This key symbolizes the key to my heart. You have it. Well, really, you have my whole heart and soul, but Tiffany doesn't make heart and soul necklace charms. I'll always be here. I want you to know that. Now is a weird time for us, but it's just a phase. Try to understand that. I love you more than you know, but it's not time yet." I've never been good with words; I could only hope that she would understand the meaning in what I was trying to tell her.

She smiled, that was a good sign. "I do understand. I've thought about it so much lately and finally I get it. Would you agree that today hasn't been very weird? Well, except for the whole people staring thing?"

I nodded.

"Well, I came to a conclusion last night. You haven't been acting weird lately, but I have. I noticed that you learned to just roll with things. I decided I would, too… just roll with it, no matter what my overly hormonal mind tells me. I can't make any promises, but thus far it seems to be working. I'm not trying to not be weird, I'm just being me and you're being you. That's how it works."

"Perfect, then." I took her hand in mine.

"I had a whole drawn out thank you in mind, but I already feel like I'm going to cry so let's just save it." She leaned over and hugged my neck for a long moment. "Thank you so much, you really are the best. Even if we were both poor and you couldn't buy me tens of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry, you'd still be the best because you're you. You're my Jacob," she mumbled into my shoulder while I became putty in her arms. She pulled away wiping tears from her cheeks.

I took a deep cleansing breath. "Alright, which way to Saks?" I asked robustly.

"You really need to go to Saks?"

"Well of course. The necklace was only part of your birthday gifts."

Her brows furrowed. "Jacob, I know how much this necklace cost. I don't want you to spend more."

I started driving back toward Saks. "Alright, I'll take you home and come back. But I can guarantee I'm not nearly as good with choosing designer handbags as Rosalie or Alice. Probably worse than your mom even."

She crossed her arms and huffed. "You're not going to let me win this one, are you?"

We didn't leave Saks until all but a small portion of the check I received that morning was gone – mission accomplished. Sticking with my agenda of providing Nessie with an exciting day without things getting weird, I took her to a well lit family restaurant that's known for its massive brownie sundaes. Esme recommended this fondue restaurant, but when she mentioned the soft lighting and music I knew it would be a bad idea, it'd be too much like a date.

Our server let out a sarcastic laugh when Renesmee ordered a two person dessert with one spoon before we even ordered drinks or opened our menus. The server glanced at me as if in search of approval for such behavior. I simply nodded, barely making eye contact with her. Nessie pulled one of the many Saks bags onto the table. My brow furrowed in confusion.

"What? I'm switching out purses," she said as if I'd missed something incredibly obvious. That's when we both heard the snide remarks that would bring our blissful afternoon and evening to a screeching halt.

Our server thought she was out of earshot. She could have been outside and Nessie would have heard her. "Look at that little slut-to-be. Draped in Tiffany, switching from one Luis Vuitton to a new one. She didn't even order a meal, just that huge sundae with one spoon. I hope she doesn't plan on keeping twentysomething sugar daddy's by eating like that."

The other servers laughed along with our waitress. Nessie turned into a hostile statue. She looked like she would explode at any moment.

The server decided to continue. "Ugh. You should have seen the way they looked at each other. I mean, that hottie's got to be at least twenty, and she can't be more than fifteen. Pedophile. Eew."

That's when Nessie snapped. I'd seen Ness and Emmett compete to see who could incapacitate a grizzly the fastest, this was not the girl a human should piss off. At that moment, we were both ready to strangle the girl. I was trembling at the table, struggling to keep myself calm, unable to think of anything but not phasing. I opened my eyes to see Nessie throwing all of her stuff into the Saks bag. She stood and shoved it in front of me.

"We're leaving," she breathed through her clenched teeth.

I stood up, but she began to stomp off in the wrong direction – the direction of the laughing girls. "Renesmee! No! Don't!" I called to her, but she didn't stop, she didn't even turn to look at me.

"I'm fine," she breathed again through her teeth.

There was nothing I could do. Either way, we were seconds away from having to leave Portland – Carlisle's job, Esme's clients, our home and all that we held sacred about it. We would have to start over, something I wasn't ready to do just yet. I had two options – let Nessie release her fury on this disgusting vile human, or try to stop her which would result in just as big a spectacle, and Nessie would most likely be very upset with me if I went with the second option. There was no guarantee I'd even be able to stop her if I tried.

I stood at the table holding the Saks bag, waiting, watching Ness briskly stomp to the wretched server.

"I heard everything you just said," Nessie told the girl. The server was much taller than Nessie, but that didn't matter.

"Did you? Hmm." The server crossed her arms and raised her brows, unmoved by Nessie's threatening posture.

"I suggest you apologize to my friend and I." I saw her cock one eyebrow as she breathed the words.

"Apologize? Honey, I should be calling the police, not apologizing." The server stood still, condescending in both her tone and posture.

"Have it your way, then." Nessie reached up and slapped the girl pretty hard, harder than any other girl could slap but not quite inhumanly. Maybe we'd be okay after all.

"Apologize," she breathed again.

"I'd kick your ass if you weren't a minor. Joe, call the police. The pedophile and his girlfriend are assaulting people out here." The server made no move to defend herself.

Nessie reached up and grabbed the girl's ponytail, brought her down to her eye level, and spit in her face.

Still holding the girls head, she spoke, "He's not my boyfriend, nor is he a pedophile you disgusting, jealous whore." For the first time in her life, Renesmee looked dangerous.

"Apologize," she demanded, louder this time.

"I'm sorry!" the girl finally screamed. Nessie lunged her backward, but not hard enough for anyone to suspect that she were anything more than a stronger than average human girl.

The farther Ness got from the server, the more her face smoothed back out into its original smile, the smile she wore when she was switching out her purse just a moment ago. By the time she was at my side, she was back to her former self.

"Let's get out of this dump," she said as she grabbed my hand and headed to the door, all signs of fury gone.

"May I ask why you're smiling?" I asked as she bounced into the Infiniti.

Her face lit up. "I controlled myself!" she shrieked with great pride. "I thought I was going to murder the girl – and I was fighting hard against the urge to do so the entire time. Plus, I won… that always makes me happy. Not that I ever thought I'd lose." She rolled her eyes. "No one calls my Jacob a pedophile." She was bubbly when she spoke, playing with the symbolic key to my heart.

Once home, Nessie reenacted her triumph to the others who were very proud of her restraint. The girls gushed over all of the things we purchased at Tiffany's and Saks, unbelieving that I was capable of such masterful ideas. I even detected a faint indication of jealousy coming from Rosalie whose husband was a bit too much of a brute to put such planning and thought into her gifts. Emmett was an awesome guy, but like most brawny men, arranging things like this was not part of his skill set. Before long, the contents of all the Saks bags were scattered all over Nessie's downstairs furniture.

After she was in bed, the others all convened in the formal dining room. Out of curiosity, I followed. The long table was quickly covered in three dimensional models, fabric swatches, magazine clippings, and countless documents and spreadsheets.

Alice noticed my puzzled expression first. "I knew you'd want to get Renesmee a gift yourself, something special, so we kind of left you out of this thus far. I hope you're not insulted?" She had on that expression that could sell ice to Eskimos.

"Of course not. So I take it you guys are redecorating her room?" I sat down beside Bella at the table, scanning the table, putting together the various pieces.

"Yes. It's about time, don't you think?" Bella said as she began to jot down notes on a piece of scrap paper. "Nice job on your gifts, by the way. You've far outdone us, but that's okay." She smiled and somehow her face looked warm.

"We'll see about that," I replied.

"I didn't have to read her thoughts to know how overly ecstatic she was about your gifts, Jacob. Give yourself some credit," Edward interjected from the other side of Bella.

Bella pushed the paper away from her, a much more elegant script than I could ever manage. "Alright, we're ready to start with the hard part. We've got four days to pull it off, but Alice has good faith that everything will go according to plan." She shifted to face me ever so gracefully. "Jacob, there's a reason we're finally letting you in on this. You're going to have to get Renesmee out of the house for a few days. Her birthday is Friday, can you handle a trip to Forks just the two of you? Edward and I would accompany you, but this is a large part of our gift to her. It wouldn't be the same if we let the others do everything."

"Sure, I can take her. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but it's the least I can do." I paused and massaged the furrow in my brow, uneasy over the thought of spending so much alone time with Nessie during this uncomfortable stage.

"Can you leave first thing in the morning? The last renovation took months. We're not changing much structurally this time, but four days is still cutting it close."

I nodded, still massaging my brow.

"You might want to go ahead and pack the RV tonight so you can get an early start. We're going to pack her things after she's in a deep enough sleep. Come back at 9:00am the morning of her Birthday. That way, we can just take her straight to her new room." She spoke in a very businesslike manner which matched well with her posture.

She must have been taking the redesign very seriously, and it was clear that she was in charge. My guess is she was trying everything she could think of to reassemble her relationship with Nessie. Maybe this would bring her back to her family. The fact that Rosalie was part of the project was good, she was part of their team, and maybe Nessie would see that.

While most of Nessie's time was spent with me, she still clung to Rosalie, which didn't seem to bother her a bit. She took great pleasure in being able to fill any void in Renesmee's life. Her empty nest syndrome was being sated through Nessie. It seemed to warm her personality, make her a more enjoyable person.

Bella, being the selfless person she is, allowed Rosalie this satisfaction. Bella would rather be the one Nessie was running to in stressful times, but she saw the glass half full side of things. Rosalie would perhaps no longer regret never having a child of her own. During Nessie's infancy, Rosalie spent a lot of time cooing and caring for her.

"Sounds like a good idea," I agreed. "You guys are braver than me, though. This could go one of two ways—"

Bella interrupted. "I'm betting on Alice," She replied in a sarcastic tone. She cocked one eyebrow waiting for my rebuttal. I couldn't think of one. Redesigning her room without asking for her input was dangerous. Even if Alice saw it going well, there was always a slim chance it could backfire if Ness decided to wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

The next morning, Nessie skipped out of her room looking like nothing known to Forks, Washington. Nessie made no attempt to conceal her love for designer labels. I'm pretty sure this stemmed from the grudge she held toward Leah who never really took much liking to Ness or any of the Cullen's. She put on a nice façade, but there was no fooling Edward who could see right through her. Not that she cared, she only pretended as a favor to me. The first time Nessie showed up in La Push dressed like a movie star, Leah muttered a barely audible comment about how spoiled and flashy she was. Edward assured Nessie that Leah was merely an acidic person.

Nessie was wearing makeup again, same as yesterday. She neither asked questions nor seemed to care at all that her parents wouldn't be joining us. She did keep her manners though, smiling and kissing everyone goodbye as we stepped into the RV, Infiniti in tow.

The ride was surprisingly comfortable, just us being ourselves, very easy. Ness danced around; I jokingly joined her in belting out all the words to our favorite songs. My performance was pitiable compared to her melodious voice. It felt like the old 'us' again. Well, except for the couple of times I saw her holding a gaze for longer than would be expected. I just grinned, though. No reason to make things hard for her. Carlisle said she could be finished growing in as soon as eighteen months, I could pacify her until then. I wasn't in a rush for her to grow up, quite the opposite in fact, but if it meant getting past this weird phase then I was all for it.

Our stay in Forks was a very pleasant one with a single, minor exception. Charlie and dad planned a surprise party for her in La Push. Of course, it was no 'Alice' party, but it was nice. Everyone we knew and loved was there, with the exception of the Cullen's who were busy working on their gift to her.

I wasn't surprised to find Emily pregnant. She had that whole pregnancy glow thing going on and Sam was worshipping her even more than usual. Leah wasn't in attendance, apparently she decided to move out to attend college somewhere near Seattle. Perhaps she could find inner peace there.

The fairly new covered porch came in handy as the rain started very early. Music filled the air as we all partied late into the evening, a large bonfire providing us with all the light we needed.

I never got a chance to talk to Sam about all of the things that had gone on between Renesmee and me. After guests started to leave and I tucked Nessie into her bed in the RV, I asked if he could stay for a little while longer. Sam and I sat together beside the fire on camp chairs, the RV in plain sight.

"I hope this isn't too personal," I said, thumbing the fabric of the chair I sat in.

Sam let out a throaty snicker. "We've seen each other naked… each other's fantasies… nothing is too personal."

"We'll see about that." I let out a sigh. "It's about you and Emily. Well, about the things that came with imprinting."

"Go on," Sam instructed.

"I've always felt a magnetism toward Nessie, just as you have with Emily. But there's something else. Last November when we were on the island, it happened to her, same as it does for us. The pain, the longing, the magnetism. Has that… ever happened to Emily?" I looked up to meet his gaze.

"Well, not that she's ever mentioned to me." His expression led me to believe that he was a bit jealous, that perhaps my connection with Renesmee was stronger than his and Emily's. Sam's interest in our conversation was waning at this point.

"Okay, there's something else. I'm… having trouble… phasing. It takes a lot of effort to force myself, and sometimes I can't at all." I slouched in my seat, staring into the fire.

"You think it has to do with the fact that you surround yourself with your natural enemy? That you imprinted on one of them? That you accept your natural enemy as your family?" he replied in a harsh tone. My fingers began to tremble as I realized perhaps Sam is not as accepting of the Cullen's as he seems.

I sat motionless for a long moment. "How dare you talk about Renesmee like that," I grumbled, my fingers still trembling. "They ARE my family. You know what, this conversation is over. Get off my land, Sam."

"Have a nice life, Jacob Cullen."

That was it. I erupted, breaking the chair and ripping my clothes to shreds as I phased. I let out a deep growl and crouched down, ready to lunge myself onto him. Sam didn't even turn around to look at me, he just continued toward my house. What was he thinking? Perhaps he was just getting Emily so they could leave. I didn't wait around to see, or to kill my once-brother. I ran around the forest for about a half hour, Sam was nowhere to be found when I returned.

That morning, I told my dad he could visit us at Charlie's for the remainder of our time in Forks, but I wouldn't be returning to La Push any time soon. He didn't take me up on my offer. Could he really side with Sam? Did he really still have any hint of a grudge toward the Cullens? Renesmee was practically his granddaughter; could he possibly have some hint of a grudge toward her? Surely not.

We were only going to be in town for one more day, maybe he already had plans. Seeing him probably wasn't a good idea, anyway. If Sam had mentioned anything about our little scene, he would surely side with Sam in that I was wrong for threatening him regardless of my intent.

I pulled the RV up to the front door of the Cullen mansion at exactly 9:00am, as instructed. Nessie was still asleep in the back. I tried to pick her up and carry her but she woke.

"We're home?" she said groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She looked out the window.

"Mom!" she yelled in excitement from inside the RV. Nessie jumped up and ran out the door ahead of me. Bella and Edward were waiting at the top of the brick stairs, Nessie ran into her mother's waiting arms. "I missed you!" she said to Bella. "You, too, dad," she said as she reached for Edward.

"Really? We missed you, too, sweetie," Bella replied, shocked by Nessie's display of affection. "We've kind of already got your birthday present waiting for you, do you want it?"

"Where are the others? I want to see them!" she squealed in reply.

Bella took her hand. "They are with your gift. It's sort of a group effort, your gift from all of us."

Nessie darted into the house, Bella and Edward right behind her with me close behind. The lilac curtain leading to what used to be her playroom was closed.

"You ready?" Bella asked sweetly.

Nessie just squealed. Maybe this would go well after all. Edward placed his hands over her eyes as Bella pressed the button to open the curtains.

"Now Renesmee, whatever you don't like, we can undo. I promise," Bella said.

Edward dropped his hands from Nessie's eyes and she gasped. Everything was completely different, bold and striking. Bright pink, purple, black, and white covered everything with splashes of silver, bright green, and other bold colors. The furniture in the living area – the furniture I built myself – still remained, but had been reupholstered. The large sofa was solid white; the loveseat was now bright pink, and the two plush chairs were purple.

Heaps of brightly colored accent pillows scattered all of the furniture and a huge high pile rug with black and white stripes rested beneath it all, bringing the furniture together. The stage remained, but featured a new sound system and a disco ball along with bright fabric panel backdrops.

The space that used to be reserved for pretend play was now occupied by a large, white L-shaped desk. On it stood a new hot pink laptop and various electronics and coordinating accessories, all striking and colorful. The fabric to her dressing room was now bright purple and had not been opened. Thankfully the walls were a bit less striking, they were lavender.

Nessie roamed around her new space, touching everything. We went out to the balcony and found that the furnishings there had also been reupholstered to match the inside colors. I was thrilled that it was still the same furniture that I made for her, only updated to better suit her present style.

Nessie's bedroom hadn't changed as much. The fairy tale themed items were replaced with more contemporary accents. Antique white with hints of pink and lavender, and the reading chair remained the same. The space as a whole was very 'Nessie'- half bright and glittering, the other half subtle and calm. Nessie was quite pleased with her gift. I almost expected her closet to be completely restocked with new clothes, but it had only been redecorated and painted. Just as Alice predicted, Nessie loved her new space.

Naturally, the unnecessarily large cake matched everything perfectly. Nessie and I spent the day relaxing in her new room just like friends. We watched TV for a bit, ate cake, listened to music, and I particularly enjoyed it when she paid me the honor of singing one of her favorite songs on her stage with the new sound system. Maybe she couldn't be famous in the real world, but she'd be my favorite singer for all eternity.

**A/N: **

**Don't forget to leave a review! I'll post the last chapter some time within the next week. **


	12. Noticed

**A/N: I decided to finish this story. I've been sitting on this for a long time. I have LOTS more of this story but I had a change of heart about it. I'm going to go back and re-read and possibly re-write a lot of this. I might continue on to the sequel but honestly looking back, this story contains a lot of the clichés that I don't like reading in fan fiction. **

**The chapter is based a couple of weeks before Christmas. **

Chapter 11 – Noticed

JPOV

I wanted to slap myself when I realized what just happened. I didn't even do it on purpose. I looked at her. No, I'd looked at Nessie twenty thousand times in her lifetime. This was more than a look, so much more. I got lost in her. It took everything I had just to look away.

We were just sitting on the couch watching 'A Christmas Story' with Bella and Edward. I'd seen it more times than I could count. We watched it every year around this time when I was growing up.

My thoughts were elsewhere, though. I was staring out a window watching the snow fly by. Nessie had grown so much this year. It worried us all, though we hid our concern well. Using whatever magical formula Carlisle had come up with, he determined her to be fifteen about a month ago, two years older than she was just three months ago. She looked more like seventeen to me, though.

Up until this point, I still saw her as my little Nessie; the girl who raced me through the woods, the girl who liked to be read to at night. I had barely registered that she was maturing other than to worry about it. She'd always been beautiful, but it wasn't until this night that I actually noticed the change in her… and in myself.

Nessie was cuddled in a blanket between her parents on the sofa. She broke the silence, laughing at something in the movie I hadn't been paying attention to. My eyes moved from the window to focus on her. Somehow I'd never noticed the change in her smile. Perhaps I'd subconsciously never allowed myself to notice. It felt like my heart stopped beating. The way her pink lips curled upward, the way her eyes glimmered as they slightly squinted, it was so gorgeous. Stray hairs from her pony tail danced around her face.

I sat staring, mesmerized, for a long moment. I never even consciously made the decision to stare at her, but I couldn't bring myself to look away. I didn't realize I hadn't taken a breath until my lungs betrayed me, taking a deep influx of air. That's when her eyes met mine. I couldn't look away, though. All I could do was stare. Her cheeks became rosy and a tiny smile crossed her lips.

_Snap out of it_, Edward said, intruding my mind.

I shook my head, trying to bring myself back to reality. "I'm going to get some air," I said, rising from my chair.

Nessie made a move to get up as well, but Edward gently pulled her back down beside him. From the way their eyes locked it was safe to assume they had a mental conversation. I hoped she wasn't getting into any trouble. If anyone should have been in trouble, it should have been me. Nessie had stared at me plenty of times, all of which I tried not to notice, but this was the first time I'd ever seen her as anything more than a little girl.

I wandered to the balcony outside my bedroom, a place I rarely ever used. Edward was standing beside me before I had a chance to sit down.

"Take a walk with me?" he asked.

I was surprised he even bothered asking rather than demanding. "Sure."

I followed him to my shop. I plopped down on the sofa, ready to get the lecture over with. I took a moment to gather my thoughts, figure out what I was going to say to him.

"Don't apologize, Jacob," Edward said sincerely. "I know you almost as well as you know yourself. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of things you don't know about me, though. We all knew Nessie's childhood would be brief. Five years, seven years, no difference when you're immortal. I'm not upset with you. If anything, I'm sympathetic." He chuckled.

"Sympathetic?" I asked.

He laughed again. "I can't imagine dealing with everything you've had to deal with from my daughter. She's put you through a lot lately. That alone reveals a great deal about your character."

I shrugged. Sure Nessie said a few things that weren't exactly kind, and she did make me uncomfortable pretty often, but I never thought dealing with it all was a big deal on my part.

"She's been traipsing around in almost nothing for months trying to get your attention. And yet you see this new Nessie when she's curled under a blanket in pajama pants, your sweatshirt, and a ponytail," he continued.

"Edward, you know how much I respect you, right?" I asked.

"Yes, and I know you'd never do anything I didn't approve of. All that stuff. I know, Jacob."

"It's not like that, man." I wanted to tell him that I couldn't even imagine kissing her, but deep down inside I knew that wasn't entirely true. A large part of me was against it, but to say that no part of me could even think about it would be a lie. Bella was the only person who could get away with telling Edward a lie.

"You sure about that? Come on, Jake. I'm not that big of an ass hole. You can be honest with me."

I just shrugged. This was all so new and I wasn't entirely sure how I felt or what I thought. I hadn't had time to think it through.

"Just make me two promises," he said.

"Let's hear 'em."

"Well, I would tell you not to pressure her, but I'm pretty sure you're going to be the one getting pressured. So, one- please don't move her far from us… at least not any time soon."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he raised his hand to stop me.

"Two… please, Jacob… this is all I'm asking of you." His face twisted into a grimace. "Please just wait until you're married before you… copulate."

"I promise." I could definitely keep these two promises. Only a teeny tiny part of me could even fathom kissing her.

The night brought with it a thick blanket of snow. It was still coming down when Nessie, Emmett, and I headed outside to build a massive snowman the next morning. I tried to concentrate, to think of anything but her, but I couldn't. She was all that existed to me.

I made a very conscious effort not to stare or do anything out of the ordinary. I was hyperaware of every movement she made and every time she touched me. It was difficult to maintain my 'nothing's changed' façade when she kept doing things like moving my hair out of my face.

It seemed too soon to have these feelings for her.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the story. If you like it and really want the sequel, let me know. If I get any interest, I might go through with it. In the meantime, go to my profile and check out my new J/N fic! I started writing Fairytales before I really started reading fan fiction. I've definitely done more than my fair share of fic reading over the last year and I feel much more confident about my newest story… so check it out! It's called Maniacal and is an AU Post-Breaking Dawn fic.


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